NTSB: Emmy Rose boating disaster due to poor drainage systems
An incident that caused a New England fishing vessel to sink and claimed the lives of four fisherman was likely due to poor drainage systems, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
In a September 13 press release, the NTSB said that the 2020 sinking of The Emmy Rose was because the vessel was not properly draining water seawater from the rear deck and because the hatches were not airtight. The less-than-perfect seal allowed sea water into the lazarette, a compartment below the rear deck.
The NTSB also recommended that the United States Coast Guard increase the scope of safety exams for fishing vessels and advised fishing vessels to stock personal locator beacons on board.
“Given their wide availability and relatively low cost, I urge all fishing vessel operators to provide crewmembers with PLBs today—don’t wait for a mandate from the Coast Guard,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “If the Emmy Rose crew had access to these devices, perhaps some of them would still be with us today.”
The Emmy Rose was returning from a 7-day fishing trip when it sank in the early morning. There were no distress calls prior to the sinking.
The Coast Guard searched more than 2,200 square miles off the coast of Provincetown over a 38-hour period. Crews found a debris field, the vessel’s emergency position indicating radio beacon, and an empty life raft and could even smell diesel fuel odors but none of the four crewmembers was found.
The shipping vessel was carrying around 45,000 pounds of fish at the time that it capsized.
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