Global inquiry into ‘faulty’ lifejackets after 3 Scots drown
Tragic loss could save thousands of seafarers
THE tragic sinking of the fishing boat Louisa, in which three Scots lost their lives, is set to spark a worldwide improvement in safety standards.
In a move that was welcomed by the sole survivor of the tragedy, the international authority on maritime safety has been asked to review the way lifejackets are tested.
The three men who died after the Louisa sank in April 2016 were found floating face down, even though they were wearing lifejackets which were supposed to keep their faces out of the water.
In the wake of the tragedy, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) conducted extensive tests and found that even approved lifejackets were failing to perform adequately. Now the MAIB has written to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) – the global authority for safety at sea – and asked it to review the standards of lifejackets being used internationally.
The move could see the current standard revised and could save thousands of lives in the future.
Last night Lachlann Armstrong, a father-of-one from Stornoway, who only survived the sinking by battling through freezing water in complete darkness, said: ‘It’s a shame that such a tragedy has had to happen to bring the flaws in lifejackets to light.
‘They’re widely used all around the world, not just on fishing boats but also ferries and other public services, and unless all lifejackets like this are taken out of circulation or improved, people won’t have confidence at sea.
‘I think a review’s absolutely necessary. And I’d personally feel honoured that the “brothers” lost at sea didn’t die completely in vain.
‘Their deaths will have been a catalyst to change safety measures which could save countless lives in the future. I can’t speak for the families, but I believe they’d feel the same.’
The Louisa sank in the early hours of April 9, 2016, while lying at anchor just off Mingulay, in the Western Isles.
Skipper Paul Alliston, 42, from Lewis, and crewmen Chris Morrison, 27, from Harris and Martin Johnstone, 29, from Halkirk, Caithness, had all donned lifejackets, but they drowned at the scene.
An MAIB report into the causes of the sinking, published in July last year, concluded that the lifejackets had been faulty.
If the vests had worked properly, the crew would have been facing up, to avoid their faces being in the water. Tragically, the report also stated the men might have survived had the lifejackets been functioning correctly.
An ‘urgent’ recommendation was made to the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA), insisting it reviewed lifejacket tests.
Now the European Commission is to call upon the IMO to review and revise existing international lifejacket standards.
In a letter to Western Isles Nationalist MP Angus MacNeil, the MAIB has written that the European Commission will ‘submit a paper to the IMO’s maritime safety committee’s 100th session in December which will call for a review and revision of the international lifejacket standards’.
The lifejackets used on the Louisa were Cosalt Premier solid-filled jackets. They were approved by the MCA and are commonly used on passenger ships, other commercial vessels and leisure craft.
Scotland’s largest ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne confirmed last week it had 1,700 on its ships.
Mr Armstrong, 28, said: ‘Nothing can prepare you for the reality of an emergency situation like a boat sinking, or the feeling of being in water so cold. But having the confidence in your life-saving gear can be the difference between life and death.
‘Being able to hold on for that bit longer, knowing your equipment’s reliable, can give you that extra assurance that everything’s going to be OK. That’s vital and it helps stop panic, which can be a killer in itself.’