THE MARINE Casualty Investigation Board has urged authorities to introduce an internationally recognised buoyage system on inland waterways and to review current navigation charts.
The board made its recommendation in a report published yesterday on the grounding and subsequent sinking of an Emerald Star cruiser in Lough Derg, Co Tipperary, last year.
None of the four people on board the cruiser were injured, but the board said the boat hire company should review its procedures for training people who charter its vessels.
It also said Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey should remind the company of its obligation to report incidents immediately under the Merchant Shipping (Investigation of Marine Casualties) Act, 2000, as this did not happen in this case.
The Caprice class Emerald Star vessel was avoiding a regatta on Lough Derg on October 9th, 2009, when it ran aground close to Mountaineer rock off Ryan’s Point on Lough Derg.
The four people on board were taken off by the Portumna Fire and Rescue rigid inflatable boat and ferried across the lake to Williamstown harbour.
The vessel, which was badly holed, was pulled off the rocks and subsequently sank while under tow.
The report noted that the skipper of the vessel became confused and disorientated when trying to recognise the buoys shown on the chart, leading him to believe he was in safe waters.
It said the navigation charts provided to hirers were not very detailed and did not show depth contours.
“These are the charts used almost universally on the inland waterways,” it noted.
As the incident could have been much more serious, the board recommended that the Minister should engage with Waterways Ireland to introduce a buoyage system which is internationally recognised by all users of the inland waterways, both national and foreign. It said Waterways Ireland and the Minister should review the navigation charts currently in use on inland waterways, and introduce a system of charts similar to those in use on the coasts of Ireland and beyond which give much greater detail on shallows, rocks and shoals and which also use depth contours.
The board recommended that Emerald Star Line should consider the use of a global positioning system (GPS) and echo sounders fitted with depth alarms for navigation assistance, and said mobile phones should not be used for emergency communications in such situations as they were not open broadcast devices – an emergency call would not be heard by other craft who could help.
It said the Irish Boat Rental Association and all boat hire companies should also give serious consideration to fitting VHF communication equipment.
Installation and use of such equipment, which requires training and certification, should be agreed with the Department of Transport Marine Survey Office, it said.
CASTLETOWNBERE OPERATION: THREE MEN RESCUED FROM VESSEL
A MAJOR rescue operation took place off the southwest coast yesterday.
Three men were plucked to safety, two of them from a life raft, after their fishing vessel, the Celtic Dawn, began taking in water about 30km southwest of Castletownbere, Co Cork.
The vessel, part of the modern Castletownbere white fish fleet, was taking in water fast and feared to be sinking, the Coast Guard said.
The Celtic Dawn, a local small commercial vessel owned by seafood company Shellfish de la Mer, alerted the Coast Guard in Valentia at 12.20 pm.
The Shannon-based rescue helicopter was given the mission and flew to the area and the Naval vessels LE Ciaraand LE Eithneresponded to the Coast Guard's Mayday alert.