Report reveals details of fatal fall from Greencastle trawler
Interim report details fatal overboard incident involving Greencastle fisherman
An interim report has outlined the circumstances surrounding the death of a fisherman who fell overboard from a Greencastle-based trawler off the Donegal coast a year ago.
The Marine Accident Investigation Unit (MAIU) has published its report into the fatal incident aboard the FV Marliona, which occurred on Tuesday, 11 November 2025, approximately 80 nautical miles west of Malin Head.
The fisherman, who was in his 40s and originally from Eastern Europe, had worked aboard Greencastle fishing vessels for a number of years and was living locally.
According to the report, the Marliona had departed Greencastle the previous evening, bound for fishing grounds off the northwest coast.
After hauling in the first catch of the day, the fatal incident occurred when preparations were being made to shoot the net for the second time that day, at approximately 1:25pm.
The casualty was positioned at the port quarter of the trawl deck and gave a visual signal to the skipper, who was on the bridge, to commence operating the winch.
However, as the skipper began heaving, a loud bang was heard, and the crew member was seen falling headfirst over the stern and into the sea.
The MAIU report stated that his lifejacket inflated, and he initially managed to hold onto a chain connected to the starboard trawl door.
The crew threw a lifebuoy and line towards him, followed by a rope fitted with an improvised strop in an attempt to rescue him.
However, he struggled to hold on and appeared to be in shock before drifting away from the vessel.
A Mayday distress call was subsequently made, and the vessel's rescue boat was launched by the skipper and another crew member, who recovered the man, unconscious, from the water.
CPR was administered by the crew, but despite their efforts and the man being airlifted to hospital, he was later pronounced dead at Sligo University Hospital.
The investigation remains ongoing, with the MAIU interim report outlining the circumstances of the tragedy, but no formal safety recommendations have been made in relation to the incident at this stage.