Ferry officer is blamed for ramming tiny fishing boat and drowning crewman, 16

COMPLACENT watchkeeping has been singled out as a major factor in the collision between a fishing boat and a passenger ferry which led to the death of a teenage fisherman last year.

The report on the collision, published by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), has condemned the "unprofessional attitude" displayed by the Italian officer in charge on the bridge of the ferry Scottish Viking on the night it collided with a small prawn trawler off the Berwickshire coast.

The 20 year-old skipper of the fishing boat, the Homeland, was rescued minutes after the Eyemouth-based vessel sank off St Abb's Head.

However, his 16-year-old brother, Daniel McNeill, from Tynemouth, North Tyneside, was lost at sea. His body was recovered three months after the sinking.

The MAIB's detailed report on the tragedy has revealed that, under international regulations for preventing collisions at sea, the fishing boat was required to retain her course and speed, while the ferry operating between Rosyth and Zeebrugge was the "give-way" vessel.

But the 184m-long ferry was still travelling at a speed of more than 20 knots when it smashed into the 11m-long wooden trawler on 5 August.

At the time of the collision, both Daniel and his brother were absent from the wheelhouse of the trawler and were on an aft deck mending a net.

But the MAIB report states that the second officer on the bridge of the ferry failed to realise at an early stage that there was a risk of collision with the Homeland.

He also failed sufficiently to monitor or plot Homeland's track or take sufficient action to avoid a collision.

And the MAIB investigators state that the contributing factors which led to the fatal collision included "complacency and lack of precautionary thought" on the part of the Scottish Viking, which had 259 passengers and 47 crew on board.

The Homeland was one of three vessels which had been sighted crossing the route being taken by the ferry as it headed out into the North Sea.

The report states: "No visual bearings were taken of these vessels, and their radar targets were not plotted, nor were their bearings otherwise monitored.

"The collision between Homeland and Scottish Viking occurred because those responsible for the watch on either vessel had not taken sufficient action to determine that a risk of collision existed.

"On board Homeland, the stand-on vessel, this was primarily because an inadequate look-out was being kept and the wheelhouse was not being manned continuously."On board Scottish Viking, the give-way vessel, the watchkeeper took insufficient action to determine that a risk of collision was developing; delayed taking action when it became apparent that risk of collision did exist; and, when the collision was imminent, did not take effective action to avoid the two vessels colliding."

The report continues: "In this accident, Scottish Viking's watchkeeper not only showed an unprofessional attitude towards regulation and guidance, but also a failure to appreciate the hazard he was creating by intentionally navigating in close proximity to other vessels. Scottish Viking's second officer showed a poor attitude towards guidance and regulations."

The report states: "The manager of Scottish Viking has taken a number of actions aimed at improving the performance of the company's bridge teams."

The Scottish Viking is operated by Dutch company Norfolkline, part of DFDS Seaways. A DFDS spokesman said executives were reviewing the report in full and would not be in position to comment until today.