Overview
- The maritime accident board concludes the trawler habitually operated overloaded and with unauthorized fuel tanks, compromising stability.
- Investigators find progressive flooding began at the waste hopper during a trawl turn in severe weather and spread through interior spaces.
- The report says the captain ordered abandonment too late, drills were not conducted, survival suits went decades without review, and liferafts lacked required thermal aids.
- One port-side liferaft was improperly released and drifted away, and the analysis states the engine shutdown resulted from flooding rather than causing the loss.
- Families of the 21 victims welcome the conclusions, the captain and owner dispute them, and the non-binding report now weighs on the National Court’s decision on further inquiries or trial.