Relatives of Nefyn fisherman Maldwyn Jones, who is believed to have drowned after being dragged overboard while fishing for whelks, are backing a device to help ensure other fishermens’ lives are spared. This comes at a time when the RNLI is encouraging Welsh fishermen to take advantage of a Welsh Assembly government grant, which significantly reduces the cost of the RNLI man overboard and emergency alerting equipment, MOB Guardian.
The safety equipment is part funded by the Welsh Assembly, through the European Fisheries Fund, and the RNLI.
MOB Guardian is the first equipment of its kind to afford automatic protection to both crew and vessel. The system developed by the RNLI to help reduce deaths in the fishing industry has already saved the lives of five fishermen since it became commercially available in December 2007.
Some fishermen in Wales have signed up to the confidential positioning system (MOB Guardian) including Maldwyn’s nephew Rodney Jones, who was the last person to see Maldwyn, out fishing, April last year. After realising that his uncle’s boat had not returned, Rodney tried to contact him on the radio and searched for his boat with binoculars. As fears for Maldwyn’s safety grew, Rodney went out to the last spot he had last seen his relative, but found his boat empty. A major search was then mounted which included RNLI volunteers from Porthdinallen lifeboat station, who later found Maldwyn’s body.
Rodney Jones says: ‘When my uncle drowned it come as a huge shock to us all, not just to our family but also to the fishing community. You just don’t think it’s going to happen to you, but when an experienced fisherman loses his life, it just goes to show how dangerous the industry really is. ‘Anything to improve your chances of survival is worthwhile and it gives me great peace of mind knowing that if the worst happens, the emergency services will know exactly where to find me.’
Maldwyn’s widow Viv is urging Welsh fishermen to take advantage of the grants available to them, and says: ’I’m so pleased the RNLI has come up with this system to help these men who work in awful weather conditions. If MOB Guardian saves one life, or stops another family having to live through the nightmare of losing their loved one, then having to wait till the sea gave them back, then the system has to be worth backing.’
The RNLI came up with the original idea and design for the satellite-based system following concerns about the number of fishing related incidents and deaths each year.
MOB Guardian consists of a base unit, and personal safety devices (PSD’s) worn by the crew. The base unit automatically transmits, via satellite, regular updates of a vessel’s position, course and speed to the RNLI’s monitoring station. If a regular update is missed, the monitoring station tries to regain contact with the boat and if no further updates are received an alert is raised with the coastguard so that a search can be initiated. If a fisherman wearing a PSD falls into the water, the radio link between the PSD and the base unit is broken, and an alert is raised within three minutes.
Because the last known position of the vessel has been recorded, searching by the rescue services becomes far easier and casualties can be reached sooner.
Frankie Horne, RNLI Fishing Safety Coordinator for Wales, explains why the position information is invaluable: ‘It really does help take the search out of search and rescue, providing the emergency responders with a key recent position from where they can begin their search.
Help should arrive more quickly as accurate coordinates of the last know position are known, so if fishermen are equipped with lifejackets and liferafts, there should be a greater chance of finding them alive. At present grants are available to help fishermen purchase the MOB Guardian unit, so I would urge interested fishermen to get in touch with us. ‘The Welsh Assembly and the Welsh Fishing Federations have worked closely with the RNLI to secure EFF Funding for Welsh Fisherman. Additionally the RNLI charity is using legacies, left for its lifesaving activities, to help subsidise the equipment and airtime charges.
‘I would encourage Welsh fishermen to take advantage of the excellent funding package that is now available. The package provides seventy-five percent funding towards the purchase and install of MOB Guardian plus five-year free satellite airtime. For more information on funding arrangements or to obtain an order form, registered fishermen should call the MOB Guardian helpline on 01202 663142 or email [email protected].
Photograph: RNLI
