Man dies after Vitesse sinks French fishing boat
Monday 28th March 2011, 2:30PM BST.
Condor Vitesse struck a French fishing boat at high speed while travelling between St Malo and Jersey this morning. (Picture by Tony Rive)
A MAN died after a collision between a French fishing boat and the Condor Vitesse this morning.
The drama happened in dense fog as the high speed ferry was en route to Jersey from St Malo.
The wavepiercer was travelling at close to 37 knots, according to the track as shown on the AIS system broadcast through Digimap, when it hit a French vessel, the Marquise.
Details were scarce first thing today, but fishermen at sea initially said three or four casualties were in the sea and it was not known what their condition was.
One of the fishermen, reportedly in his 40s, died later in hospital.
Simon Edsall, managing director of Condor Ferries, said: ‘Our thoughts and
sympathies are with the family, friends and colleagues of the fisherman at this difficult
time.’
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37 knots in thick fog???
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Wasn’t anyone looking at the radar?
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a) she should not have been doing 37 in thick fog in shipping lanes and b) with her high tech equipment this vessel would have been on their radar. Also where was the warning system that they have to sound that they were close to other vessels.
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CD- A small fishing boat probably wouldn’t appear on RADAR.
This is very sad news but it is just a tragic accident.
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Did the Fishing boat have a radar reflector up ??
How many fishing boats have them and bother to keep them in good order? Condors track to St Malo is always the same why was the boat on that shiping lane? My brother spent 45 years at see as a merchant navy skipper ask him about fishing boats in shipping lanes in poor visability.
The sea is a dangerous place and health and safety are not out there to hold your hand.
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It is my understanding that a boat should be more or less stationary in dense fog. A terrible and tragic event which need not have happened.
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W.H.Bonney said it all. Nothing else left to say.
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Nice to see everyone is already making judgements before any facts are known.
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Await the results of the full investigation, RIP to the deceased and others affected.
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My thoughts are with the the family of the deceased. Is fog the reason for the constant fog horns in St Peter Port over the weekend and today?
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Mac: It’s all in the name.
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Is’nt it funny how people suddenly become experts when a situation like this arises, as cookie says wait for the full enquiry before passing judgement. CV you have hit the nail on the head.
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A tragic accident.very sad for the family concerned+very difficult time for the crew onboard the Vitesse.i dont think people should judge.very sad for everyone involved.
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A good rule of thumb for navigating fog is proceed at a speed slow enough for the boat to be able take avoiding action or stop in half the distance of the available visibility.
I hope lessons are learnt from this. For far too long it appears there is a mentality that rewards security to those with larger safer vessels.
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Our thoughts must go out to this poor family who have lost a loved one and also to the two survivors who I am sure will be traumatised for a long time to come.
We had a boat for a long time and to be fair the sea can be a frightening place, I am suprised there are not more accidents.
Lets just wait and see what the investigation brings, before we all jump to conclusions.
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Im sure in time we will find out what happen in this very tragic accident. Best wishes goes out to family and friends.
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CV sums it up well. condor takes the same route, and the fishing boat was probably too small to be seen on radar a risk you take when going out in thick fog. boats don’t have brakes!
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This is a very sad situation. But after having traveled on a boat in thick fog in the Little Russell before, and being told by St Peter Port radio that the Condor WILL see us on it’s radar, just in case, this is worrying for the greater boating community in the long run.
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my thoughts go to the family friends of the French fisherman, and also the captain of the condor who has many years of experiance
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Speculation is not helpful and can be insensitive to all the parties involved.
Condolences to the family and my thoughts are also with the other two fishermen and the Condor crew who were involved.
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This is a tragedy for this poor man in this accident. Vitesse master must so affected too. For those who knew how to avoid this accident, on the first comments, you should’ve been on the bridge, and save their soul
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The speed is the issue here and the weather. Roll on the Jersey and French inquiry. I feel sorry for all those concerned but lessons are to be learnt – timetable is not the all important factor.
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Hi.
Everyone should take a step back from this and think that if you were onboard the fast ferry because your plane was unable to get to its destination due to fog, you wouldnt have given it a second thought that the boat was travelling fast in fog!
There are so many variables to take into concideration, its impossible to comment until all the facts come to light.
Ours hearts to all involved.
GD.
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Whilst I echo sentiments about the tragic loss, some strange attitududes are being applied to future booking.
When I went into condor Office to book a fare on Wednesday, I was told they were not accepting any bookings that day.
Thursday I was told that the boat to Jersey was full on Saturday.
However when I booked online, my booking was accepted. Fog forcast for Saturday ?
What are we not being told about ?
Until there is an enquiry are we going to get boats cancelled due to fog as well as planes ?
There could be a lot of dissapointed travellers this summer if that is the case.
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I am sorry but I would have rather Condor not go out in thick fog and plough into any unsuspecting vessel – an unfortunate accident I know. In China on the Yangtze our ferry boat was delayed 2 days and we waited until the fog lifted before we pulled up anchor and moved on. We could hear boats blowing their horns all around us and they were doing the same thing – staying put. There are rules for navigation on the seas in bad weather wherever you are. Living on an island has its downfalls as well as its good ones and we have to put up with the inconvenience if it means risking lives.
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Im sticking with WH Bonny. Skippers are not ‘God’ anymore. They have a timetable and the office on their back.
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