A PRELIMINARY report into the loss of the Pere Charles fishing vessel with all five crew off the southeast coast in January 2007 is believed to have found that no stability tests were carried out after the vessel was modified.
However, legislation at the time, which has since been amended, exempted vessels between 15 and 24 metres from such surveys.
The vessel was also carrying a greater load of herrings than on previous trips, and was lying deeper in the water when it was swamped, as waves breaking over the stern became trapped in the forward section of the vessel.
The vessel had been in close radio contact with another vessel several miles south of Hook Head when it disappeared from radar.
The French-built twin-rig stern trawler had only been purchased the year before the sinking by Michael Walsh of the Irish South and East Fishermen’s Organisation.
It had been taking advantage of a window after a prolonged period of bad weather when it set out from Dunmore East on January 10th, 2007.
On board were Tom Hennessy (32); his uncle, Pat Hennessy (48); Billy O’Connor (50); Pat Coady (27) and Ukrainian national Andriy Dyrin (32).
Some hours later, on January 11th, 2007, the Honeydew II from Kinsale sank 20 miles farther west off Mine Head.
Two Lithuanian crew members escaped in a life raft and survived but skipper Ger Bohan (39) and Polish crewman Tomasz Jagla (32) were lost.
None of the seven bodies from the two vessels has been found, although the Pere Charles was salvaged in late 2007.
The Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) draft inquiry has been distributed to relatives of the five men, and they have been given 28 days to make comments.
The report is believed to note that modifications took place to the hull of the vessel between 2001 and 2006.
