THE search of the sunken L’Ecume II trawler has concluded without finding the body of skipper Michael Michieli.
The boat sank after colliding with Condor’s Commodore Goodwill freight ship off Jersey’s west coast at about 5.30am on Thursday 8 December.
On Boxing Day, the police confirmed that two bodies recovered from the wreck by an unmanned craft several days after the incident were those of Filipino crewmen Jervis Ramirez Baligat and Larry Simyunn.
In a statement yesterday, Deputy Chief Minister Kirsten Morel said that ‘every area of the vessel’ had now been searched and that this phase of the operation had drawn to a close.
The government has confirmed that an independent investigation will be led by the States police and supported by UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency Enforcement Team.
The government said that subsequently the Attorney General would ‘determine whether any criminal charges should be brought’.
Due to the current resource pressures caused by the Haut du Mont disaster, the force is seeking additional resources and a senior investigator will be appointed shortly.
The second area of ongoing work is the maritime safety investigation. This was commissioned immediately after the incident to determine the facts and what lessons can be learned and is continuing.
The maritime safety investigation is currently being progressed by Maritime Standards, part of Ports of Jersey, in conjunction with the Bahamas Maritime Authority, as the Commodore Goodwill’s flag state, and the Philippines as an interested party.
