COMMERCE
Subscriber Services
Classified Ads
Subscribe
Advertise
NEWS
This Month
Editorial
Letters
F/V Safety
Past Issues
ABOUT US
Contact Us
Latest Issue
Subscribe
History
MORE CONTENT
CFN Archives
Links
Each month exclusively in the PRINT edition of CFN
Along the Coast
Ask the Lobster Doc
Bearin’s
Classifieds
Coming Events
Editorial
Enforcement Report
FISH SAFE
Fleet Additions
Letters
Lobster Market Report
New Boats
News Catch
Quahog Market Report
|
Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 35 Number 7
March 2008
Editorial
Stability: Know the limits of your boat
The loss of the 75' New Bedford scalloper Northern Edge and five of her six crewmen on Dec. 20, 2004 was the trigger for a dramatic change in thinking about safety. The terrifying story told by sole survivor Pedro Furtado motivated fishermen from all over the region to take part in hands-on safety training sessions.
Barely three years later, the Coast Guard has issued two casualty reports that should prompt the same kind of new thinking, this time about fishing vessel stability.
Investigators concluded that a sudden loss of stability leading to capsize was most likely what ultimately sank both the Lady of Grace and the Lady Luck within five days of each other in January 2007. Six men died, creating an inconsolable sense of loss within their families and communities.
In the case of the New Bedford-based Lady of Grace, heavy ice buildup on the deck, house, and rigging probably shifted the vessel’s center of gravity, causing her to roll without warning. In the case of the Lady Luck, the cause mostly likely was some kind of flooding such as water on deck and/or in the lazarette.
As CFN was going to press, the family of Lady Luck owner/operator Sean Cone was raising serious questions about the accuracy of some of the statements in the casualty report, particularly about who changed the configuration of the original net reel and added a second net reel to the vessel. The Coast Guard has said it will make corrections to the report.
However, even if flawed, both reports call our attention to the importance of understanding the mechanics of vessel stability. The Coast Guard has been developing mandatory stability standards for commercial fishing vessels 50' and above for nearly a decade. Those standards aren’t on the books yet, so it falls to fishing vessel owners and operators to make sure their vessels are seaworthy.
Even though it is not required by the federal government, Coast Guard safety experts would like to see every boat with a deck – even those under 50' – have a stability test. Absent that ideal, fishermen still can do a lot to get a better sense of what could affect the stability of their boats.
For example, everything you put onboard or take off – from major structural reconfigurations to equipment or even accumulated junk – adds or subtracts from the weight profile of the boat and can change the vessel’s center of gravity. The Coast Guard has a log sheet template that can help you catalog those modifications, calculate the weight change, and determine whether or not those changes are significant enough to present a danger and warrant remedial action.
Watertight integrity also is critical to vessel stability. Routine inspection and proper use of hatches, doors, vents, bulkheads, and, especially, the lazarette can identify problems before they lead to a crisis.
CFN safety columnists Ann Backus and Fred Mattera have, over the years, written seven columns that together are a solid primer on understanding fishing vessel stability. These are now posted on a special page on the CFN web site at <www.fish-news.com/cfn>.
The Coast Guard, too, has excellent resources that every fishing vessel owner should obtain, including the fishing vessel modification log sheet and an easy reference booklet titled “Stability Best Practices.” These can be found online at <www.fishsafe.info>. Click on the “Homeport” icon in the center of the page, then scroll way down to “Vessel Modifications & Stability.” Or call your local Coast Guard safety examiner and ask for copies.
There is no law requiring fishermen with vessels under 79' to comply with stability standards, but it makes good sense to know the limits of your boat. /cfn/
Return to Editorial page
Back to story list
|
|
Tell us what you think.
