KEY POINTS:
The coroner investigating the deaths of three fishermen from the Mi Jay in 2005 has called for monitored emergency beacons to be fitted to all fishing boats and their liferafts.
The 13m Mi Jay, owned by Nelson company Crusader Fisheries, disappeared after leaving Nelson on November 22, 2005.
The bodies of crew members Cedric James, 52, and Wiremu Tawhiti, 53, were found on December 19, 2005, in a liferaft off the Kaikoura Coast.
Neither the boat nor the body of skipper Paul Rees were found.
Releasing his final report into the deaths, coroner David Crerar recommended fishing boats and their liferafts be fitted with 406 Epirb emergency beacons as a requirement for boats to be issued a Safe Ship Management Certificate.
He also wants Maritime NZ to investigate the logistics of installing tracking systems so that the real-time location of emergency beacons can be determined, the Nelson Mail reported.
Mariners needed to be made aware of the importance of scheduled reporting systems too, he said.
Mr Crerar found the Mi Jay was equipped with an Epirb but it did not comply with the appropriate standards and was ineffective. It was unclear whether the boat's liferaft had an Epirb.
A pathology report found that Mr James and Mr Tawhiti died seven to 10 days before they were found, and scientific analysis of barnacles on the liferaft indicated in had been in the water between 21 and 28 days.
Maritime NZ spokesman Ross Henderson said Epirbs were already mandatory for commercial fishing boats that operated beyond the range of VHF radio, with all required to carry the 406 Epirb from July 1.
While these boats did not have to have an additional emergency beacon in their liferafts, maritime rules required Epirbs to be easily accessible, so that they could be removed quickly if there was a need to abandon the boat.
Whether it was feasible to extend the Epirb requirements to other vessels or to install tracking devices would require further assessment, Mr Henderson said.
"The key issue here still is that the loss of the Mi Jay and her crew could have been avoided had her owner established a regular communications schedule with the vessel before departure."
Crusader Fisheries and its director, Warwick Loader, were found guilty in Nelson District Court last year of operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk. Loader unsuccessfully appealed.
- NZPA
