Caesarea-Trader

Lewis Carr (31) , the officer of the 'Commodore Goodwill', now sailing as 'Ceasarea Trader', who was in charge of the ship when it hit the trawler 'L'Ecume II' on Dec 8, 2022, killing its three crew members, the skipper Michael Michieli (62) and his crew, Larry Simyunn (33) and Jervis Baligat (31), has been jailed for 20 months. He was convicted of conduct endangering ships, structures and people at sea, after a four-week trial. The jury couldn’t make a decision on a more serious manslaughter charge. Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit, prosecuting, told the court that Carr had failed to keep a proper lookout and failed to use the equipment available to him. The cumulative effect of these failings was causative of the collision. The advocate showed the court the various pieces of equipment and showed the Jurats a reconstruction of the itinerary taken by the two vessels ahead of the collision. He said Carr’s behaviour had gone against several rules for seafarers, and asked the court to jail him for 23 months. Advocate Simon Thomas, defending, said Carr accepted he had made errors and had written in a letter: “I recognise the pain and anger felt by the families and I can only say that I am truly sorry for their loss and the part I played [in it]”, having “reflected” on his actions, and was “committed” to making sure “nothing like this ever happens again under my watch”. Carr had suffered from PTSD and depression as a result of the collision, and it was “unclear” whether he could work as a seafarer again. Carr had acted negligently, he said, not with gross negligence and not intentionally. During the trial and the sentencing on Dec 4, Mr. Michieli was remembered as an experienced fisherman. Carr was a 2nd officer on the 'Commodore Goodwill', and at the time of the collision he was the more senior of the two crew on the deck. In the aftermath of the collision, he was charged with manslaughter. At the end of a month-long trial, the jury were hung on this charge and found him guilty of a lesser charge under the Shipping (Jersey) Law 2002. During the trial, jurors watched detailed reconstructions of the radar screens that would have been available to the two men on the deck, as well as audio recordings and maps showing the paths of the two vessels.

A jury has acquitted a ferry worker of manslaughter and been unable to reach a verdict for his crew mate on the same charge over the death of three fishermen aboard the ' L' Ecume II'. Artur Sevash-Zade and Lewis Carr stood trial at Jersey's Royal Court. The jurors could not reach a verdict on the charges against Carr, 30, but found him guilty of a breach of Jersey's shipping law. He is due to be sentenced on Dec 4 for the charge of breaching Jersey's shipping law relating to a failure to discharge his duty in a manner likely to cause loss destruction, death or injury. He faces a maximum of two years in prison. During the trial, crown prosecutor Matthew Maletroit told the jury "safety was not treated as the paramount consideration", and the two defendants had ignored flashing collision warnings on the radars 10 minutes before the crash. Instead of acting, the men had instead busied themselves with pre-arrival tasks and paperwork in the lead up to the crash. The collision was "not a freak accident, it was purely the consequence of human error and negligence". Advocate Simon Thomas, defending Carr, said the CCTV footage analysed found only one fishing light had been on, with the defence suggesting the crew may not have realised or checked to see if a bulb had blown. He said Carr had carried out all of the duties expected of him by his employer and acted by the rules. The defence said it was "not the case in which Lewis Carr did nothing" and that he had taken "positive steps" to monitor the 'L'Ecume II'. Mr Sevash-Zade's defence said the lookout was subordinate and he had carried out his duties "entirely properly", including taking instruction from his 2nd officer Carr. Advocate Mike Preston said Mr Sevash-Zade was "little more than an afterthought" and he was "one of those resources to be deployed by Carr" to keep a watch, alongside the radars, and was onboard to assist and do what he was told. The prosecution said Mr Sevash-Zade was an experienced seaman whose qualifications surpassed what was required for a lookout.

In the trial of two crew members of the 'Commodore Goodwill', prosecuted for their role in the fatal collision with the 'L'Ecume II', one of the defendants was acquitted of manslaughter on Sep 25. Artur Sevash-Zade (35) of manslaughter after 18 hours and five minutes of deliberation. However, he still faces a charge of "endangering vessels or persons in violation of the Jersey Navigation Act." Mr Sevash-Zade was discharged from court proceedings on the morning of Sep 26, after the jury failed to reach a majority verdict on the lesser alternative charge. The trial for his colleague is also continuing. He is still on trial for three counts of manslaughter. On Sep 26 Lewis Carr (30) was found guilty of conduct endangering individuals, ships or structures under the Shipping (Jersey) Law 2002 after 19 hours and 18 minutes of deliberation. The guilty verdict was unanimous, and Carr was remanded in custody. Carr and Mr Sevash-Zade were the only people on the bridge of the 'Commodore Goodwill' at the time of the collision. The trial has lasted three weeks, and jurors have been deliberating since the morning of Sep 23. Commissioner Sir John Saunders was presiding.

The jury has retired to consider its verdicts in the trial of two crew members of the 'Commodore Goodwill' who were accused of gross negligence manslaughter. Jersey's Royal Court has heard three weeks of evidence regarding the deaths of the 'L'Ecume II's skipper Michael Michieli, 62, and the crew members Larry Simyunn, 33, and Jervis Baligat, 31. Lewis Carr, 30, and Artur Sevash-Zade, 35, both denied the three counts of gross negligence manslaughter. The pair also denied a breach of Jersey's shipping law relating to a failure to discharge duties related to their ship in a manner likely to cause "loss destruction, death or injury".

Artur Sevash-Zade, a crew member of the former 'Commodore Goodwill', who is facing three manslaughter charges stemming from the fatal collision with the fishing trawler 'L'Ecume II'. has described in court how he was in his first week of carrying out duties as a lookout on Sep 17. He told the Royal Court that he had began working on the ferrry n late October 2022, around six weeks before the collision on Dec 8. Listening to questions from his lawyer, Advocate Mike Preston, the Ukrainian national said that he had qualified from a maritime college, taking up his first job in the role of ordinary seaman in 2015 at the age of 25. After working on four ships as an ordinary seaman, in 2021 he had attained the role of an able seaman, which he carried out on two vessels before joining the 'Commodore Goodwill'. He had first been deployed as a lookout on Dec 4, working with Mr Carr. The 2nd officer looked young, he said, but he had no doubt about his qualifications and experience, being always calm, never nervous so that he had no concerns about him. Since his arrest in July 2024 and court appearance the next day, Sevash-Zade had been held in custody for two months, subsequently staying in Jersey and finding some work for the period leading up to this month’s trial. Although he acknowledged that his English had improved during his time in Jersey, Mr Sevash-Zade said that in 2022 his linguistic ability had been sufficient for him to carry out his duties, and there were no difficulties regarding speaking or understanding English at the time of the collision. Carr said that manual controls, rather than auto-pilot, should have been used ahead of the fatal collision. He agreed that action could have been taken sooner, with the benefit of hindsight, but he believed he had complied with international regulations designed to prevent collisions.

Lewis Carr, the 2nd officer in charge of the 'Commodore Goodwill' was "shell-shocked" and "numb" after the collision with the fishing vessel 'L'Ecume II', the court has heard. He denied three counts of gross negligence manslaughter over the deaths of the skipper Michael Michieli and the crew members Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat. He is being tried alongside ex-Condor crew member Artur Sevash-Zade on the same charges. The court had previously heard that Mr Michieli would always have his fishing lights on as a matter of protection from larger boats. Carr told the jury he "didn't see any fishing lights" on L'Ecume II when using his sight and binoculars 20 minutes before the collision took place. e said he could see the ship's side lights, single mass headlight and some deck lights, and that the vessel was proceeding normally on its route. Between 05:15 a.m. GMT and 05:24 a.m. there was a small, slight echo of the 'L'Ecume II' on his radar. When he located the 'L'Ecume II' on the AIS he recognised it as a fishing boat by name, but "it didn't have fishing lights on". Carr told the jury that he expected the fishing vessel to take action and pass by the 'Commodore Goodwill' in accordance with maritime regulations. He maintained the course and speed of the Condor vessel until a minute before the collision. He altered to starboard side, and then the 'L'Ecume II' turned to port, which he did not expect and was against any collision regulations: "At that point, I was shocked at what I was seeing and sounded the horn to try and alert L'Ecume. With hindsight, it is late. But at the stage I didn't think L'Ecume would alter course to port which made the collision unavoidable." The prosecution had said that Carr had delayed calling the captain and coastguard about the collision by four minutes. Carr said he "couldn't think clearly at all" and that he was "kind of felt frozen. The first few minutes, the main priority was trying to get a visual of L'Ecume, then stabilise the vessel. At that point, the main focus was trying to get a visual of L'Ecume to see if she was down in the water or where exactly she was." Carr told the court that he ran out to the bridge wing to try and get a visual and, once the captain was onboard, he spent about 15 minutes using the search light to try and locate L'Ecume II before being sent to the captain's cabin after agreeing he was "in a state of shock". After being visited by the other 2d officer in his cabin, Carr said: "I don't think I was in the room. I wasn't responsive, I was still in a state of shock." Answering questions from defence lawyers, Carr told the jury that, after starting his shift at 01:00 a.m., he had been on the deck about five to 10 minutes beforehand to familiarise himself with what was going on before his handover with the other second officer. He proceeded towards Guernsey from Portsmouth and then handed back over to the captain of the ship to lead the vessel into the harbour at 02:40 a.m. As part of his role, Mr Carr would then leave the deck to assist with leaving the harbour from the afterdeck, located at the back of the ferry, acting as an extra pair of eyes to make sure the Goodwill cleared harbour safely. The 30-year-old said he then arrived back on the bridge at 04:52 a.m. and had been there for less than a minute before handover with the captain began. Asked by the defence if he felt pressured to take control of the deck from the captain, Mr Carr said it was "part of the job and obviously you wouldn't say to the captain: 'I don't want to take the conn'". Carr said the hours before had been "exhausting" and that officers were "ready for a change" and to work "more bearable" shift times. When asked if he was tired on the day of the collision, Mr Carr said he was not but "at the time, you just get on with your job". The trial was continued.

Two men are being tried for manslaughter before the Royal Court of Jersey three years after the collision of the 'Commodore Goodwill', now sailing as 'Caesarea Trader', with the trawler 'L'Ecume II' (IMO:.8554954), that claimed the lives of three fishermen, among them the skipper, aged between 31, 33, and 62, on the Jersey trawler on Dec 8, 2022, at 5.30 a.m.. Almost three years after the incident, the trial iopened on Sep 1, 2025. Following the investigation, two men, aged 30 and 35, from Condor Ferries, were charged with manslaughter. They will appear in court for a month. After six days of searching, two bodies were recovered. The captain's body was found in April 2023. This tragedy deeply affected the fishing community in the English Channel. The Jersey trawler was well-known to fishing professionals in Granville; it regularly landed its catch at the auction and maintained its boat at the Granville shipyard. The two defendants denied any inattention, while the court presents a series of failings: failure to communicate, avoid collision, or maintain proper lookout, supported by audio evidence. 20 minutes before the collision, the "L'Écume II" already appeared on the ferry's radar. Ten minutes later, alarms sounded. The two defendants were then busy with non-urgent matters, according to the prosecution. When they reacted, it was too late. The trawler was only a few hundred meters away. The ferry, sailing on autopilot, hit it head-on, at full speed. The trawler sank 40 meters below the surface. The trial before the Channel Island Royal Court is expected to last a month.

The 'Commodore Goodwill', now renamed 'Caesarea Trader', which served the Channel Islands for nearly 30 years, is to be repurposed to transport freight by the Danish-based DFDS. The purchase of the ferry will enhance lifeline freight services connecting Jersey with Portsmouth and St Malo. The ship reflagged under the UK flag, and renamed in homage to Jersey's Latin name, It will be overhauled ahead of its launch later this year, replacing the 'Arrow', the chartered vessel currently transporting Jersey's freight.

The 'Commodore Goodwill' has completed her last commercial sailing on March 27, 2025. She has been taking passengers and freight from Portsmouth International Port to the Channel Islands for the last 30 years, but her career has come to an end. On March 28 the ship berthed in Le Havre. Condor Ferries is seeking to sell the vessel. Report with photos: https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/travel/condor-ferry-on-sale-portsmouth-port-5071464?fbclid=IwY2xjawJhwOdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkypGjsM8nHuzg4BZl0CVyt_jMr8bpq6sJh5Iln5NO1RfIBOBcolKrLbQMgi_aem_z1e4zvTVh1nVXcus6TV6zA

A complex file of evidence on the collision of the 'Commodore Goodwill' and the trawler 'L’Ecume II' on Dec 8, 2022, has been handed to the Law Officers Department by the States police. A similar file on the Pier Road explosion was to be submitted to the department in due course. Law Officers, overseen by the Attorney General, will examine the evidence and determine if it is in the public interest to pursue criminal charges related to the investigations. Given the size and complexity of the evidence file relating to the collision, it will take some time to consider the evidence. The investigations were entirely independent of the government and officials could not predict when they would conclude. The decision to release reports and findings will be made by the prosecuting authorities at an appropriate time.