Fv-Novo-Alborada

A fatal accident aboard the 'Novo Alborada', sailing in the waters of the Great Sole fishing grounds, has resulted in the death of one crew member and serious injuries to another on Jan 15, 2026, at 10 a.m. while fishing approximately 30 nautical miles southwest of Valentia Island, off the coast of County Kerry. The incident was triggered by the sudden breakage of a rope or hawser, the whiplash of which struck two workers on deck at the time. As a result of the violent impact, a Moroccan sailor died, despite his crewmates' efforts to revive him. The other injured worker, originally from Indonesia, suffered severe multiple injuries requiring an urgent medical evacuation to try to save his life, as coordinated by Maritime Rescue in Dublin. After the alarm was raised a via the Radio Medical Center. From Madrid, the Valentia RCC was immediately contacted to request international assistance, activating an emergency operation that mobilised air and sea resources. The weather conditions were extremely challenging, with heavy swells and a heavy downpour that created walls of water up to six meters high, greatly hindering the approach and maneuverability of the two helicopters and the fixed-wing aircraft deployed in the area. Despite the rough seas, the rescue teams managed to hoist the injured man aboard one of the aircraft. He was transferred to the Cork University Hospital, where he was admitted after 2:00 p.m. The deceased's body remained aboard the trawler, awaiting repatriation. The 'Novo Alborada had set sail just two days earlier from Castletownbere. The latest fatal accident was the second on board in the last decade. According to the report by the Permanent Commission for the Investigation of Maritime Accidents and Incidents, a fatal accident occurred on board the 'Novo Alborada' on June 24, 2018, while the vessel was docked in the port of Castletownbere during maintenance works, when the crew was attempting to move the heavy drag doors from the stern to the deck for repair. Due to improper execution and the use of machinery that could not withstand the stress, a failure occurred, violently striking a 51-year-old sailor from Sierra Leone. Although the crew member was urgently airlifted to the Cork University Hospital with severe abdominal injuries, he died three days later. The subsequent investigation revealed deficiencies in supervision and safety measures during the operation. In 2023, there was another accident, in which a man fell over board 165 nautical miles southeast of the Isles of Scilly. Vessels in the area were mobilised, and a merchant ship, along with the fishing vessel itself, recovered the deceased fisherman. The vessel then headed to Vigo with the body on board. The technical records of the vessel were raising questions about compliance with safety and maintenance standards on board. On Jan 18, it entered the port of Vigo, where the body of the deceased fisherman was removed from the ship.

On Feb 15, 2023, a 52 year old fisherman from Ghana died after falling over board from the 'Novo Alborada' on the Gran Sol fishing grounds while fishing 165 miles from the Scilly Islands. He was working on the stern of the trawler when he fell into the sea. The body of the sailor has been recovered from the water. The trawler, with the body of the deceased on board, headed towards Vigo with an ETA as of Feb 17.

The Commission for the Investigation of Maritime Accidents and Incidents (Ciaim) has just published the report regarding what happened aboard the 'Novo Alborada' on June 24, 2018 in the port of Castletownbere, when a crew member died from a blow. It concludes that during the movement of the trawl doors an "improper maneuver" was carried out that caused what happened. In addition, it points out that the lack of supervision of the officers and bosun contributed to the accident in which a 51-year-old sailor died, who had been working on that ship for about three months, although he had extensive experience on similar ships. In the conclusions, Ciaim indicates that, at around 8:40 a.m., the crew was moving the trawl doors from their stowage position aft to the deck for inspection. During the manoeuvres, one of the sailors was seriously injured when he was hit by one of the mobile elements that formed part of the starboard door stowage system. The man died three days later after being admitted to hospital. "The cause of the accident was the impact on the sailor of some of the mobile elements arranged in the espardel for stowage and fixing the door, when it fell abruptly when trying to move it through an inappropriate maneuver, both due to the use of a lantheon with strong twisting and rubbing on the espardel as by the use of a windlass without the retention capacity of the hoisted door," says the report. In addition, it clarifies that the accident cannot be attributed to failures in the execution of the sailors in charge of unhooking the chains from the doors nor can it be attributed to failures of the sailor in command of the windlass. The door fell suddenly and the elements of its support "made a whip movement" in such a way that they hit the sailor at the chest and arms. The door fell to the bottom of the port, from where it had to be retrieved later. The trawl doors weigh on the order of a ton each. They are stowed at the stern end, on both sides of the ramp outside the hull, and are secured to the ship's structure by means of various chains and ropes. In the safety recommendations, Ciaim calls on the skipper to ensure that the trawl door transfer maneuver "always be carried out following the usual and proven procedures, and specifically, that the deck turnstile or any machinery that does not have the ability to brake or maintain a fixed position, or total control over the traction and positioning of the suspended door, is not used." It is also requested that the prohibition of using the deck windlass or any machinery that does not have braking capacity or maintain total control over traction be included in the occupational risk prevention plan.