The lives of four trawler crew, who died in an accident, could have been saved if they had been wearing lifejackets

A major investigation has highlighted the serious dangers associated with beam trawlers and the need for all those working on deck to wear lifejackets.

Both Walton and Harwich lifeboats spent a day at sea off the Tendring coast recovering the bodies, searching for two missing men and recovering debris from the Flamingo.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has now published its findings into the capsize of the fishing vessel east of Harwich on July 7 last year.

And it has made a number of recommendations in a bid to improve safety.

The Belgian beam trawler had been fishing with three other Belgian trawlers but, just before 10pm, Thames Coastguard at Walton was informed of an alert.

Flamingo could not be contacted and a search and rescue operation was launched.

The trawler's upturned hull was located and the bodies of two of the crew members were picked up but neither was wearing a lifejacket.

The hull drifted with the tide until the following afternoon when it was attempted to tow her towards a nearby sandbank. She sank shortly after the tow began.

A wreck recovery vessel raised Flamingo on July 14 and she was taken to Zeebrugge, where she was examined. The two missing crew members were never found.

The report states: "This tragic accident highlights the inherent dangers associated with beam trawling and the adverse effect on stability when operating fishing gear with derricks raised above the horizontal towing position.

"It also illustrates the need for working-type lifejackets to be worn whenever crew members are working on deck. Doing so, might have saved the lives of Flamingo's crew."

Published Friday, June 13, 2003

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