Sheriff set to probe deaths of men after boat capsized
THE deaths of two fishermen who died when their boat capsized will be probed by a sheriff.
Skipper Duncan MacDougall, 46, and crewman Przemek Krawczyk, 38, were working on the Nancy Glen when it sank in Loch Fyne, Argyll.
The men were missing for three months before their bodies were discovered in the submerged wreckage by salvage teams.
A third crewman, John Miller, was able to run along the deck and leap into the water seconds before the boat capsized in January 2018.
A criminal probe into the incident was dropped but a fatal accident inquiry will be held at Oban Sheriff Court.
The inquiry is mandatory because both men, of Tarbert, Argyll, died during the course of their employment.
A preliminary hearing will take place today, with the full inquiry set to get under way next month.
The 40ft vessel was brought to the surface after the Scottish Government stepped in to cover the £1million costs so £300,000 raised by a crowdfunding effort could go to the men’s families.
A report into the incident by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) in 2019 found modifications to the Nancy Glen reduced its stability.
In its report, the MAIB concluded: ‘The MAIB’s investigation established that through life modifications to Nancy Glen, culminating in the replacement of the crane with a heavier model, had reduced the vessel’s stability, significantly increasing its vulnerability to capsize.’