KARINYA FR699

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Fire which caused ship's loss likely caused by cigarette

The blaze that engulfed the "Karinya - FR 699" in the Moray Firth and forced five crewmen to abandon ship was likely sparked by a discarded cigarette, a report of the Marine Accident Investigation Branch showed. The "Karinya" went down about 40 miles from the port on Oct 5, 2015. The five-man crew had been fishing for prawns when skipper Michael Ritchie noticed smoke pouring from the cabin. He immediately instructed his four crew members to don their abandon ship lifejackets, but the fire blocked their access to the cabin. Instead all five men grabbed the personal flotation devices normally used for fishing in bad weather, and scrambled off the twin-rig vessel and into a life raft. An Inverness-based search and rescue helicopter and the Fraserburgh RNLI all-weather lifeboat were both dispatched to the scene as other vessels in the area went to the crew’s aid. The nearby trawler "Pleiades" picked up the emergency broadcast and was able to pick the crew up from their inflatable dinghy. The Banff-registered vessel stayed on the scene with the RNLI craft as the men watched their boat burn for nearly eight hours and sink shortly after 9 p.m. As the "Karinya" was carrying several gas canisters and more than 10,000 litres of diesel, the RNLI volunteers were asked to stand down their firefighting efforts for fear of an explosion. The accident report – which acknowledges that a forensic fire investigation has not been possible due to the "Karinya" foundering in deep water – states: “It is probable that the fire resulted from a poorly discarded cigarette end that was not fully extinguished and was left in the cabin, or fell or was blown down the internal stairway and through the open cabin door.” Other “less likely” causes including faulty electrical equipment were noted. The MAIB has now issued new fire safety guidance to trawlermen in the wake of the incident. The safety lessons printed on the new flyer include keeping cabins clear of combustable material, operating a closed-door policy to stop fires spreading, and conducting regular emergency drills. Investigators said the "Karinya" crew were fortunate that the "Pleiades" was so close, but praised their well-practiced emergency drills. Report with photo: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/north-east/fraserburgh/890183/karinya/

Trawler sank after fire - crew of five rescued

Five trawlermen were forced to abandon the "Karinya - FR 699" after a fire broke out on board 40 miles from its home port Fraserburgh on Oct 4, 2015, at 1 p.m. As the crew scrambled off the prawn boat and into a liferaft, thick black smoke billowed from thewheelhouse. An Inverness-based SAR helicopter and the Fraserburgh RNLI all-weather lifeboat were both sent to the scene as other vessels also went to the crew’s aid. The nearby trawler "Pleiades" heard the emergency broadcast and picked up the crew from the liferaft. The Banff-registered trawler remained close to the "Karinya" as the boat continued to burn. The fire aboard the Karinya burned late into the night and a pollution inspector was sent to the area to assess the situation. The Fraserburgh lifeboat also stayed on the scene. The ship burned all day before sinking at around 9.04 p.m. Reports with photo and video: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/north-east/fraserburgh/714888/north-east-trawler-could-have-exploded/ https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeenshire/714165/fire-ravaged-fraserburgh-boat-sinks/