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Skipper of boat involved in a collision at sea is fined £1,000

Document Cited authorities 2 Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date16 January 2022
Publication titleSunday Sun
Terence Auld, 60, from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, was fined £1,000 at Newcastle Magistrates Court following the collision involving two boats to the east of the Tyne

Auld was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,000 and a victim surcharge of £100.

At around 3.30pm on November 8, 2020 the Achieve, a nine-metre fishing boat being skippered by Auld, collided with the much larger 81-metre Russian-owned cargo ship Talis.

The Achieve was travelling towards the Tyne at the time of the incident in weather conditions that caused very poor visibility. Auld failed to spot the Talis on his radar and the wheelhouse was left unattended when he went to the deck to speak to his crew.

Serious damage was caused to the fishing boat which, despite the best efforts of the RNLI, sank while being towed back to the Tyne. Auld and his crew were rescued by the RNLI.

An investigation was carried out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Regulatory Compliance Investigation Team who summonsed Auld for offences under Section 58 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 Conduct endangering ships, structures, or individuals.

Auld pleaded guilty at a hearing at

Newcastle Magistrates Court on January 13.

District Judge Currer described it as a serious offence and said Auld had been reckless in leaving the wheelhouse, given the vessel's location and the conditions.

Auld was given considerable credit for co-operating with the investigation and his guilty plea.

Mark Cam, lead investigation officer from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...

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