HUNTER

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Latest news

Man who was lost over board found in trawl

The police have identified the body, which was found in the trawl of the trawler 'Kongsfjord' on April 12, 2024. On April 22 the police stated that it was Latvian Romans Solovjovs (38), who was found south-east of Svalbard. The next of kin have been notified. There was no final autopsy report, but the cause of death was stated to be drowning. The Havøy Kystfiske was grateful for the discovery of Solojovs and expressed their thanks for the efforts of the crew of the trawler for finding and bringing the deceased ashore. They hoped that this finding would give the police the answers they need to close the investigation, and bring some form of closure to the Solovjovs' family. Solovjovs was reported missing to the police following a report of a man overboard on the snow crab vessel "Hunter" off Svalbard on Jan 30, 2023. According to the accident report from February 2023, Solovjovs fell overboard while preparing the rails. Following the accident, the Accident Investigation Board notified the Norwegian Maritime Directorate of what they believed to be safety-critical conditions on board. As a result, the ship was detained in Tromsø until orders from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate were rectified. In that connection, all certificates were confiscated and declared invalid due to serious security discrepancies. The background was precisely the fatal accident. Owner Jøran Helde in Havøy Kystfiske, who owns the vessel, complained about this decision from the directorate. He then stated that the shipping company disagreed with a large number of findings in the audit report, and that it was therefore appealed. The case has not been finally decided. The ship remained docked in Ålesund. The shipping company had to pay half a million Norwegian crowns after it was discovered that the ship had too many foreign employees in the crew.

Norwegian Maritime Directorate will carry out extraordinary inspections after fatal accident

The Norwegian Maritime Directorate will carry out extraordinary inspections of ocean-going crab fishing vessels after one of the crew members of the "Hunter" went overboard while snow crab fishing in the Barents Sea on Jan 30. The person is still missing and presumed dead. As a result of the serious incident, the Norwegian Maritime Directorate will instruct owners of this type of vessel to review the work processes together with the crew to identify hazards and implement measures that eliminate the risk of falling overboard, including being dragged overboard with the equipment. Shippers are asked to ensure that the crew members can communicate in the working language on board, and that there is an adequate and reliable communication system between the wheelhouse and the working deck, as well as between the crew members on the working deck, If it is discovered that requirements in the regulations have not been met, an order will be issued to carry out measures. Such measures can be physical barriers, protection and safety devices and anti-slip to eliminate the risk of falling overboard.

Fisherman still missing after falling into the Barents Sea

A fisherman aboard the 'Hunter' died at sea east of Hopen in the evening of Jan 30, 2023. The man fell into the sea while the ship was fishing for snow crab in the Barents Sea. At 7.05 p.m. the Central Rescue Service first received information about the incident around 100 nautical miles east of Hopen, east of Svalbard. The MRCC in Northern Norway coordinated the search. The Coastguard went out from Longyearbyen on Svalbard to help the fishing vessel. At 10.24 p.m. it was decided to end the search for the missing person. The emergency team of the Havøy Kystfiske in Skodje has worked closely with HRS to find the missing person. The police notified the next of kin of the missing person, and the owners' team was doing everything they can to look after the crew on board. The crew will search for the missing person together with the Coast Guard as long as there is a need for it. The vessel will then proceed to Tromsø, where a crisis team will take care of the crew. The cause of the accident was not clear, and the police and the Accident Investigation Board will investigate the matter further.