Report highlights causes of loss of prawn trawler off northwestern Scotland

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its report on its investigation into the grounding and subsequent loss of the prawn trawler Sustain off northwestern Scotland on November 16, 2023.

At about 19:46 local time on the said date, Sustain ran aground on rocks at the entrance to Loch Broom while on the way back to dock in Ullapool. The crew were safely evacuated unharmed the following day.

The vessel had departed Ullapool in the early hours of that morning to complete day four of its fishing run.

Sustain remained aground despite the crew’s efforts to refloat the vessel and attempts by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution to establish a tow.

The vessel was eventually declared a constructive total loss after being damaged in poor weather. It was broken up and removed by a team of specialist divers in early 2024.

The MAIB investigation found that the skipper, who was alone in the wheelhouse at the time of the accident, had fallen asleep. He was fatigued due to working through the night before the accident to carry out repairs on board and a sleep debt accumulated in the days and weeks before the accident.

The risks associated with lone navigational watchkeeping had been identified in onboard risk assessments, but the control measures had not been implemented, according to the MAIB.

Before the accident, the vessel was being navigated by eye rather than with a properly documented and executed passage plan.

The MAIB said no recommendations have been made in this report as the operating company no longer owns or operates any vessels.