OLIVIA JEAN

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Fisherman sentenced to more than one year in prison after collision

On June 1, 2021, a British crew member of the 'Olivia Jean' was sentenced to more than a year in jail for his role in a collision with the smaller fishing vessel 'Peter Paul II'. Craig Petre, 32, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court to 66 weeks in prison for violations resulting in the collision with a smaller vessel off the coast of Shoreham on the morning of April 4, 2020 when the 'Olivia Jean' hit the 30-foot fishing vessel 'Peter Paul II'. At the time of the collision, the 'Olivia Jean' was sailing at about nine knots in conditions of restricted visibility. Her beams were down at either side while she was under way, making her almost 100 feet wide. One of these beams hit the 'Peter Paul II', causing damage to the vessel. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Regulatory Compliance Investigation Team launched an inquiry and summoned Petre for offenses under Section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 (Conduct endangering ships, structures or individuals.) Petre pleaded guilty to the charge at a hearing at Lewes Crown Court on January 14. At the time of the collision, Petre was already on a 48-week suspended sentence. At a sentencing hearing on June 1, the judge added an 18-week sentence for the latest violation and reinstated the 48-week sentence from his prior offense, and the sentences will now run consecutively (for a total of 66 weeks in prison). "Petre failed to heed several important international safety regulations at the time of the collision. The 'Olivia Jean' was traveling at an unsafe speed for the weather conditions and Petre failed to maintain a proper lookout for other vessels. As a result, serious damage was caused to another vessel and the master of that vessel was also put at risk of serious injury or death," said Mark Cam, the lead investigation officer for the UK MCA. The 'Olivia Jean' is a repeat offender. In 2020, the UK MCA detained the ship along with four other vessels owned by the TN Trawlers Ltd. on charges of violating the UK's Merchant Shipping Act. The same company has been investigated many times for safety incidents, including a crewmember fatality in 2019, serious injuries in 2008, 2005 and 2000, and an allision with an anchored nuclear waste carrier in 1999.

MAIB investigated two identical accidents on scallop dredger

THe Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published a report on the death of an Indonesian crew member of the 'Olivia Jean' on June 28, 2019, 39 miles off the coast of of Aberdeen. He was fatally injured after he was struck on the head by the vessel’s scallop dredge towing bar, the investigation has found. He suffered crush injuries to his head and was airlifted to hospital for emergency treatment but died 12 days later. The investigation by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said: “The crewman had replaced two worn dredges on the towing bar and stood clear as the skipper used the winches and derrick to lift and realign the gear against the vessel’s tipping door. Unfortunately, one of the towing bar’s securing chains had not been released and the dredge gear became snagged. Although the skipper shouted instructions to the crewman to remain clear as he attempted to free the gear, the crewman stepped between the snagged bar and the accommodation superstructure just as the snagged bar released and swung inboard. The accident happened out of the skipper’s line of sight, according to the MAIB report, and he was relying on a CCTV screen behind him to monitor the area – suggesting the deck operations "were not being properly supervised or controlled. The deck crew’s level of English comprehension was poor, and they did not speak a common language”. Recommendations have been made to the 'Olivia Jean’s managers, TN Enterprises Ltd, to improve safety on board its fleet. However the MAIB report details a similar incident on August 2, 2020, when a British crewman on the 'Olivia Jean' was struck by a towing bar during a dredge gear shooting operation. The man moved out of the designated safe zone before being given the clearance to leave, stepping into an unsafe area and being struck by the towing bar when it unexpectedly moved. He was also taken to hospital for emergency treatment to chest injuries.

Company of Olivia Jean fined for safety breaches

A fishing vessel company and its two directors have been ordered to pay a total of £147,465 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to several breaches of maritime safety on Apr 11, 2013. It relates to defects found on vessels owned by TN Trawlers Ltd of Annan, Scotland. The "Olivia Jean" was inspected by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in the port of Shoreham in November 2009. It was detained due to a number of defects, including an out of date Intermediate Survey and Radio Survey, plus no crew qualifications or safety training details were available. When the vessel was released, it travelled to the Netherlands for a refit and survey. In January 2010, the vessel was inspected by the MCA once again, and further defects were identified including unauthorised additions and modifications to the vessel. These included the addition of a crane on a raised platform, holes in the forward watertight bulkhead to take larger conveyor belts and the addition of a generator set which was positioned over an access hatchway in the forecastle space. There were concerns about the condition of other parts of the vessel where maintenance was very poor. Concern was expressed at the access from the foredeck to the accommodation when the dredges were laid on the conveyors. The deck crew would have had to crawl or climb over the dredges to get the accommodation access. An investigation by the MCA Enforcement Unit was started which highlighted other problems. The authorised stability information only permitted 14 dredges to be used however records indicated 18 were in use. Examinations of the same records also showed that the "Olivia Jean" was carrying more deck cargo than permitted in its stability information. The vessel operates under an exemption allowing the removal of the rescue boat if the crew is restricted to six however it was found that eight crew were being carried.