Baker, Rodney John
Deceased
Rodney John Baker
Demographics
male
Date of death
2004-01-29
Finding date
2006-05-15
Cause of death
Drowning resulting from capsizing of trawler
AI-generated summary
Rodney John Baker, an experienced trawler skipper, died when his 51-foot steel trawler Gulf Stream capsized in stormy conditions off Cape Moreton, Queensland on 29 January 2004 while attempting to haul nets that had caught on an unidentified object. The boat was positioned beam-on to waves and current, lost engine power, rolled over suddenly, and sank. Mr Baker was on the starboard side near the motor and was not rescued despite an extensive three-day search. The coroner found drowning as the most likely cause and attributed the death to inadequate safety standards in the commercial fishing industry. Key issues identified were: inadequate boat stability standards for older vessels, absence of quick-release mechanisms on trawl cables, and lack of mandatory life rafts, personal flotation devices, and EPIRBs. The coroner made three recommendations to address these safety gaps in regulations.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Trawl net caught on unidentified object on sea floor
- Storm with strong winds and heavy rain
- Boat positioned beam-on to waves and current
- Engine fuel starvation due to boat tilt angle
- Sudden rolling and capsizing with minimal warning
- Strong ocean current sweeping away from vessel
- Lack of quick-release mechanisms on trawl cables
- Safety equipment (EPIRB) inaccessible during capsize
- Life boat attached to vessel and lost in sinking
Coroner's recommendations
- Maritime Safety Queensland to liaise with Queensland Seafood Industry Association to curtail concessions excluding safety design requirements for commercial fishing boats and apply National Standard for Commercial Vessels (NSCV) to all trawlers
- Amend regulations to make mandatory the inspection and approval of any changes to trawling equipment that could impact vessel stability
- Mandate installation of quick release mechanisms on trawl cables for all commercial trawlers
- Amend Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Act regulations to mandate that trawlers carry inflatable life rafts secured by hydrostatic release that break free when submerged
- Mandate that commercial fishermen wear inflatable personal flotation devices (PFDs) and carry EPIRBs when working offshore on deck
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