L'Ecume II report finds failures in fatal collision

Two vessels involved in a fatal collision between Guernsey and Jersey were both effectively without a fully functioning bridge team at the critical time, investigators have found.

A report into the sinking of L'Ecume II fishing boat, in which three crew died in 2022, revealed key personnel on both vessels were "distracted" or absent from navigational duties as the risk of collision escalated.

On the Commodore Goodwill ferry, the lookout had been reassigned to other tasks, while on L'Ecume II the skipper was "almost certainly" below deck dealing with a technical fault.

The report from the Bahamas Maritime Authority and the Government of Jersey said both crews had been unable to respond on time.

It said effective use of bridge resources was critical to safety, and found poor coordination and misused alarm systems were likely to be a factor.

The report investigated the collision between Commodore Goodwill and L'Ecume II on 8 December 2022.

The collision resulted in the deaths of the three fishermen who were onboard L'Ecume II.

Goodwill's second officer Lewis Peter Carr was jailed for one year and eight months in December 2025 for breaching Jersey's shipping law which led to a "catalogue of failings".

The report identified failures in bridge teamwork onboard both vessels, where "seemingly important operational needs" distracted available personnel from the "critical task of collision avoidance".

It said Goodwill's lookout had been sent away from duty and later tasked with other work, leaving the officer of the watch without effective support as the situation developed.

On L'Ecume II, the skipper Michael Michieli was "almost certainly" below deck dealing with an electrical issue leaving no certificated watchkeeper on the bridge, it found.

The report said both crews were distracted from safe navigation by operational demands, with fatigue also likely affecting the ferry's officer and reducing his awareness and judgement.

The investigation found that L'Ecume II was not engaged in fishing at the time of the incident, meaning both vessels should have followed the same collision avoidance rules.

As they approached each other Commodore Goodwill made two small alterations of course to starboard.

Less than two minutes before impact, L'Ecume II made a slight alteration to port, which the report said was unexpected and contrary to collision regulations.

Investigators said neither vessel sounded warning signals when altering course and "apparently lacked awareness of what the other was doing"

Commodore Goodwill did sound a warning signal but it came "eight seconds before impact".

The investigation said watch officer Carr believed L'Ecume II was fishing and expected to keep clear and had a radio set up which was "was not optimised for collision avoidance".

It said: "His decision to monitor the situation 'by eye' deprived him of a more accurate appraisal that might have been possible using other means that were available."

The report said lessons needed to be learned and the "need to maintain a lookout applies equally to all".

It recommended the States of Jersey "amend its legislation to prioritise sharing of lessons that might be learned from marine casualties through the removal of restrictions on publication of marine safety investigations."

The report said "fishing vessels and their crews carry a disproportionate risk when they are involved in collision.

It concluded: "Further work needs to be done in the international community to reduce these risks."

A spokesperson for the Government of Jersey said: "We thank the Bahamas Maritime Authority for its thorough and far-reaching investigation.

"We will now carefully review their findings and give full consideration to the recommendations made."

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