FV CAP HORN 1
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Deadly accident investigated
On Nov 16, 2023, the BEAmer published a report on an accident on Sep 17, 2022 aboard the “Cap Horn 1”, which cost the bosun’s life. The “Cap Horn 1” had set sail on Aug 17 from the port of Pointe des Galets in Réunion, with 32 crew members pm bpard, for a toothfish fishing campaign in the French Antarctic Southern Territories (Taaf). On Sep 17, at around 10 p.m., while the longliner was 50 miles southwest of the Kerguelen Islands (1,800 miles south of Réunion Island) the boatswain, aged 47, who was aboard the 'Cap Horn 1' since 2018, and embarked for this campaign since Aug 11, 2022, was dragged to the sea, after his foot got caught in a loop of the line during the launching of the ropes connecting the line to the recovery balloons, while the first line of the night is spun. After a man overboard recovery maneuver, the boatswain was recovered unconscious and, despite the care provided on board, could not be resuscitated. The 'Cap Horn 1' then resumed its route towards Reunion. According to the BEAmer, "the manual intervention in the darkness of the crew when launching the rope is a contributing factor in the accident", as is "the PFD (DNLR: buoyancy clothing integrated), poorly adjusted and worn without shoulder strap, which inflated too high to succeed in turning the boatswain onto his back once in the water. In conclusion of its report, the BEAmer recommended initiating a reflection by consulting the Taaf administration concerning the possible improvement of the lighting of work stations during delicate phases and to review the longline spinning procedure in order to limit human intervention to the strict minimum. Since the accident, a poster campaign by the IMP, the Maritime Prevention Institute, on the wearing of PFDs has been set up on board.
Medevac off Kerguelen
On Jan 4, 2017, the CROSS Réunion was advised that a French crew member of the "Cap Horn 1" had to be evacuated to the island of Kerguelen in order to be taken over by the base doctor. The Kerguelen base has a medical team that can intervene in case of emergency. He was disembarked onto the the research vessel "La Curieuse", and it would take about a dozen days to get there, depending on weather conditions. In order to secure the medical evacuation, the deputy physician of the Base of Port-aux-Français will also be embarked and will be repatriated later by the first available means.
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