Inquiry launched into faulty marine beacons

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has initiated an internal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding reported identification of faulty marine emergency radio beacons three years ago.

The Australian manufacturer of the GME emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) has issued a precautionary safety alert to owners of six models of the device manufactured between 2005 and 2010.

The Department of Transport's new Irish Maritime Administration has also advised owners of the GME EPIRBs to carry out "immediate testing of their beacon".

British distributors for the device Sartech have said that the Australian company only became aware of a microprocessor malfunction, which effectively shuts the beacon down, after testing of an EPIRB retrieved from the boat used by three brothers who drowned off Co Waterford this summer.

Paul (49), Kenny (47) and Shane (44) Bolger from Passage East, Co Waterford, were all wearing lifejackets and had an EPIRB on their 19 ft punt, Dean Leanne (italics), when they capsized in Tramore Bay last June.

However, the EPIRB failed to activate - as normally happens when in contact with water - and the alert was not raised until some hours later when the brothers had failed to return.

Late last July, the Department of Transport issued a “care and maintenance” notice concerning EPIRBs, but did not specify problems with any particular models.

Sartech has said that the failure rate has been about 0.1 per cent, and that it was only after further investigation of the EPIRB on the Bolger boat that a pattern emerged with particular models. EPIRBs should be tested every month, the distributor has said.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar, who says he was only made aware of the matter on Thursday after contact by RTÉ, said that his department "instigated a thorough investigation of certain GME EPIRBS this year after concerns were raised, arising from routine surveys this year".

“This resulted in safety notices being issued this week by my Department and the manufacturer,” he said.

Mr Varadkar said his “department also made enquiries of the company in 2010, regarding possible problems of false alerting or premature battery failure with these EPIRBS”.

“I will ensure that this matter is fully investigated,” Mr Varadkar said.

At the funeral of the three Bolger brothers, their sister Paula’s partner Colm O’Neill spoke of how the drownings had “roots in a long descent into danger, caused by the removal of economic opportunity again and again without alternatives being made possible”.

“Successive governments have often, with good intentions, restricted or removed categories of fishery or types of fishing,” Mr O’Neill said.