A Scottish engineer has developed a potentially life-saving device that warns fishermen if their vessel is about to capsize.
“Fishing is the most dangerous industry we have,” says Ken Smith, the inventor, interviewed by The Scotsman. ”But while the accident rate in other industries has been declining in recent years, there has been no corresponding reduction in the UK fishing industry. As 60 per cent of losses are due to instability we think we can make inroads into that and make the industry much safer”.
Studies have shown that the fatality rate among UK fishermen is 115 times higher than for the workforce as a whole. Last year, three men died as the Aquila went down off the Scottish west coast, and as late as the first week in August, a 16-year old was killed when his fishing vessel collided with a ferry off Berwickshire.
The device consists of a sensor box which constantly monitors the stability of the vessel and transmits the information to a screen placed in the vessel’s wheelhouse. If the sensor detects that stability is threatened, the crew are alerted by a red light and an audible warning, and can take action accordingly.
The SeaWise monitor is backed by the UK government agency that oversees the industry, and is being tested by the US National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.
According to Smith, the director of the Hook Marine engineering firm, only fishing vessels longer than 12 metres are required by British law to undergo stability checks before setting out to sea, and the dominating share of the Scottish fleet is smaller than that, where most of the accidents occur, as well.