Boat tragedy could have killed more
A “tragic accident” aboard a Scottish trawler that was in port for maintenance could have resulted in multiple fatalities, according to investigators.
William Ironside, the second engineer aboard the Fraserburgh boat Sunbeam, died when men he walked into a refrigeration tank, where he fell victim to a fatal mix of low oxygen and toxic gas.
The owners of the vessel have been urged to improve safety procedures after an interim report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch revealed that the crew “did not appreciate the levels of risk they were taking, even after the second engineer had collapsed”.
Mr Ironside, 52, from Fraserburgh, was one of five men who fell ill on the Sunbeam on August 14.