Report on marine accident with fishing vessel Sørbris LM8515, foundering in Breivikfjord, Troms and Finnmark county on 8 May 2020
Marine report 2022/09
The vessel Sørbris sank at approximately 16:00 on 8 May 2020 in the Breivikfjord in Finnmark. A search and rescue operation was initiated four hours later on the basis of a notification of concern. The fisherman, who was fishing alone, was located and retrieved from the sea just over six hours after the accident. He was pronounced dead shortly after. On the day of the accident, the fisherman had set out to pull a string of fishing nets that he had taken over from another vessel. On 14 March 2022, Sørbris was raised on assignment for the NSIA and brought to shore at Finnsnes. It turned out that Sørbris had fishing gear caught in the propeller, which the NSIA deems to have been a contributory cause of the accident.
The fishing vessel Sørbris was of the type Myra 27 with a round stern, built in 1981, and was originally registered with a length overall of 8.17 metres.
On the day of the accident, the fisherman had set out to pull a string of fishing nets that he had taken over from another vessel.
No stability calculations had ever been prepared for Sørbris. All fishing vessel with a length overall of more than 8 metres should have had vessel instructions prepared by an approved company, with operational restrictions defined on the basis of stability calculations, in place no later than by 1 January 2020. The vessel’s length overall (LOA) as stated by the manufacturer was originally registered as 8.17 metres, and this is also what was previously registered by the authorities. The fisherman had himself contacted an approved company to have the length overall of the Myra 27 checked. The approved company measured the vessel again together with the owner, and on 5 January 2020 the vessel's length overall was found to be 7.90 metres. This brought Sørbris into another category of fishing vessels (less than 8 metres, built before 1992) that is not subject to a requirement for vessel instructions with stability calculations under the current regulations.
The previous owner had mostly used Sørbris for hand-lining, but the new owner changed the form of operation to net fishing. In the NSIA’s opinion, it is precisely in cases such as this, when a vessel's form of operation is changed and other, potentially heavier, equipment is introduced, that a vessel owner could benefit greatly from the help and guidance of stability calculations.
Published 07.09.2022
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation Marine No 2022/10T
The investigation into the accident involving the fishing vessel Sørbris on 8 May 2020 has shown that the number of unannounced inspections by the Norwegian Maritime Authority of vessels built before 1992 with a length overall of less than 8 metres has been very low in recent years, considering the number of vessels in this group. Sørbris was last inspected more than eleven years before she sank. The vessel was not equipped with a float-free satellite EPIRB, equipment which could have altered the outcome of the accident.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Maritime Authority intensify its control of fishing vessels with a length overall of less than 8 metres built before 1992.
Safety recommendation Marine No 2022/11T
The investigation into the accident involving the fishing vessel Sørbris on 8 May 2020 has shown that fishing vessels with a length overall of less than 8 metres built before 1992 will never get advisory operational restrictions because no requirement for stability calculations apply under the current regulations. These vessels are often bought and sold between fishermen who are in the start-up phase and thus have limited experience.
The Norwegian Safety Investigation Authority recommends that the Norwegian Maritime Authority introduce a requirement for stability calculations for fishing vessels with a length overall of less than 8 metres built before 1992.
Facts
| Location | Breivikfjorden, Troms and Finnmark county |
| Occurrence date | 08.05.2020 |
| Accident category | Foundering |
| Area | Norwegian Territorial Waters |
| Name of vessel | Sørbris |
| Accident type | Fatal Accident |
| Vessel type | Fishing Vessel |