Families of fishermen receive draft reports

THE Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has confirmed that the families of Quilty fishermen Michael Galvin and Noel Dickinson have received draft copies of the board’s report into their tragic deaths at sea last year. The men were drowned, while moving lobster pots, on August 13, 2012.

The fishermen and their trawler, The Lady Eileen, were due back at Seafield Pier at 5pm that day and when they failed to return, concern grew locally as to their well being.

Rescue services, family and friends began searching the waters around Spanish Point on the Monday night, while around 100 volunteers searched the shore from Spanish Point to Green and Goat’s Islands.

Their bodies were recovered and returned to Seafield Pier the following afternoon. Both men lived in Seaview Park, Quilty.

The local community came to a standstill for their funerals, which were attended by thousands of people.
Confirming that the draft reports have been issued to the families under what they termed “natural justice”, a spokesperson for the MCIB said the full report is close to being published and made public.

“We’re waiting for one letter back and then it will be going to print. I can’t say at the moment exactly when it will be published because there’s a lot of reports in the offing at the moment. Four of them are almost ready to go to print. But I wouldn’t think it will be much longer,” the spokesperson added.

The function of the MCIB is to carry out investigations into marine casualties that take place in Irish waters or involve Irish registered vessels.

The main purpose of the board’s investigations is to establish the cause or causes of a marine casualty with a view to making recommendations to the Minister for Transport for the avoidance of similar marine casualties. It shall not be the purpose of an investigation to attribute blame or fault.