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Skipper of trawler which hit the Sea Transport fined

The skipper of the Belgian beam trawler "Deborah" which had been in collision with the "Sea Transport" on Jan 18, 2012, has been ordered to pay a total of £2,345 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to offences under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (Colregs) on Apr 25, 2013. Jeffry Demeester, the skipper of the "Deborah", had appeared at West Hampshire Magistrates Court in the morning. On the day of the accident, the "Sea Transport" was in the Bristol Channel waiting for orders to enter Milford Haven. The tanker was fully loaded, with an estimated 90,000 tonnes of crude oil on board. Weather conditions at the time were poor with driving rain. The "Deborah" was outward bound from Milford Haven heading towards Belgium. The skipper was alone on the bridge. He did notice the ship on AIS and radar but made an incorrect assessment that he would miss the ship. He did not realise that the "Deborah" was on a collision course with the "Sea Transport". Shortly after 1 a.m. and approximately 14 miles from the entrance to Milford Haven, the bow of the trawler ran into the port quarter of the tanker making a deep gash above the waterline on the side of the ship causing extensive damage. Nobody was injured and there was no reported pollution. In sentencing, the Court took into consideration his previous good character and full cooperation with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in this matter as well as his early plea of guilty to the charges.