FRENCH trawlermen knew of the risks when they moored in Dartmouth, according to harbour master Rob Giles.
Defending the handling of the operation after the boat capsized and sank, Capt Giles said the crew had been clearly told the vessel would hit the seabed at low water.
It was their decision to remain on the berth and up to them to make sure the trawler was stablilised and securely tied, he said.
This week, the vessel Saint Christophe I remains partially submerged in the river, a few metres away from the Dart harbour office as salvagers and divers assess the damage and decide how to refloat her.
Representatives from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch have also begun making inquiries into what happened and Capt Giles is working with the crew, French insurers and other agencies to try to get the boat refloated.
Ten crew were rescued from two boats which got into trouble after taking shelter from a storm in Dartmouth on Wednesday last week.
The Sagittaire managed to right itself in the water but the second boat, the Saint Christophe I, sank onto her starboard side on the seabed next to her berth at South Embankment.
Capt Giles said the vessel had been turned away from Brixham harbour at the last minute, and Dart Harbour Navigation Authority offered to help her and two other vessels shelter from the stormy weather. Two of the trawlers were invited to use Town Jetty and the third, Saint Christophe I, was offered South Embankment, he said.
‘The vessels arrived at 3.30pm on Wednesday, March 9, and my understanding is that they were to depart as soon as the weather improved,’ said Capt Giles.
He said the French crew had been ‘very clearly told the vessel would take the seabed at low water’.
This was acknowledged by the French crew, although their use of English was very poor, he said.
Capt Giles said the trawlers’ arrival and mooring had not been supervised as such, but assistance had been given when Saint Christophe I crew had trouble in effecting a safe alongside, and with physically tying up the ropes.
He said remaining secure at the berth was the responsibility of the master of the vessel.
‘The risk of allowing your vessel to take the ground through low water is taken by the master of the vessel,’ he said. ‘If the vessel is secured and ballasted correctly, this can be done safely and easily.’
Capt Giles said: ‘DHNA has a harbour guide giving guidance for visitor berthing in the harbour. The harbour master has the power to direct vessels in the harbour, including berthing locations.
‘River officers do this on behalf of the harbour master. River officers are trained in guiding vessels to visitor berths suitable for the size of the vessel.
‘As with all ports, passage plans, coming alongside and remaining secure at the berth remain the responsibility of the master of the vessel.’
He said DHNA did not operate a 24-hour watch service because it was not cost-effective for a port with such low traffic volumes out of hours.
‘Vessels can enter Dart harbour and take up a berth without informing DHNA, but all visitors are strongly encouraged to contact DHNA in advance of berthing,’ he said.
Capt Giles said recovery of Saint Christophe I, whose home port is Caen, was now in the hands of the insurers of the French vessel.
‘DHNA is on hand to assist but is not in control of the timetable,’ he said. ‘Costs are unknown at this time.’
He said that when the vessel capsized, there was between 10,000 and 15,000 litres of fuel on board.
‘An immediate tier two incident response was initiated, and two booms have been rigged around the vessel,’ he said.
‘The water inside the booms is being skimmed to remove diesel, and absorbent pads are being used also for this. ‘The vent for the fuel tanks was soon blocked. However, fuel is leaking from the vessel at a slow rate, indicating poor fuel tank construction.
‘We have collected approximately two tonnes of fuel from the surface of the water within the boom. However, we are in control of the situation.
‘We will never keep 100 per cent of diesel inside the boom, but diesel that escapes is estimated at less than two percent of the overall diesel emitted. Frequent river patrols are taking place to check this. The diesel emitted is probably less than that during a busy regatta week.’
The other two vessels – Sagittaire and Maranatha II – have now left port, while the owner of the 22 metre-long Saint Christophe I, Wilfried Roberge, who has a broken arm and whose younger son was onboard, has arrived in Dartmouth to oversee the refloating operation which may involve the use of buoyancy aids or even a crane.
It is believed the 230-tonne trawler was only purchased last year and her home port is only 20km away from Dartmouth’s twin town of Courseulles-sur-Mer.
Last Wednesday’s rescue operation – on the exact second anniversary of the devastating fire aboard the African Queen in Dartmouth harbour – involved the fire service and Dart lifeboat late into the night.
John Fenton, of the Dart RNLI, said: ‘Three French trawlers had sought shelter in Dartmouth harbour from the very rough conditions at sea.
‘Two of them, the Sagittaire and the Saint Christophe I, were listing severely. There was a report of a fire on board one and both crews needed evacuation.
‘The Dart inshore lifeboat evacuated three of the crew from the Sagittaire over the stern and then returned for the next two, one of whom had to be lowered from the transom with a rope.
‘The fire service sent two appliances from Dartmouth, one from Kingsbridge and a pump and a command unit from Totnes. They rescued the crew of the Saint Christophe I by ladder and established that there was no fire. The spring tide was at its lowest at 12.33am and it became apparent that the Saint Christophe I was not re-righting herself.
‘The lifeboat crew were asked to try to establish whether there was internal flooding in the vessel. They did so and found it to be severe. The two crews were
taken to the lifeboat station for hot drinks and to warm up.
‘A boom was placed round the vessel by the DHNA vessel, Hercules.’
All of the French crew were safe and unhurt.
A spokesman from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said: ‘The incident was reported to us and a team has been deployed to make inquiries and will be speaking to crew and staff at DHNA. As yet it is not known if an official investigation will take place.’
The MAIB is a branch of the Department for Transport responsible for investigating incidents on board British flagged vessels abroad, and involving any vessel in UK waters.
Its remit is to discover the cause of incidents, but not to apportion blame or liability. It can however make recommendations. Short reports usually take about six months to produce. The powers of the MAIB tend to relate to calling people to interview and obtaining access to vessels and documentation so as to make an accurate report. It handles each investigation in the same way, whatever the incident.