Fishing boat skipper endangered crew on unsafe vessel
Lloyd Jones |
A fishing boat skipper who failed to report a grounding later told authorities his vessel had only “touched mud”, when rocks had put a hole in the hull, endangering crew safety, a court has been told.
Daniel Schoolmeester, 49, appeared in Darwin Local Court on Tuesday to plead guilty to charges of risking the safety of people on a vessel and as a vessel master failing to report a marine incident.
Prosecutor Sam Lanskey told Judge David Woodroffe that in September 2023 the Gold Coaster had grounded while on a commercial fishing trip with crew.
The ship took on water but was refloated and had repairs carried out.
Schoolmeester failed to report the grounding to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) as required under marine safety regulations.
Crew phoned family members leading to a police vessel being sent out to take three crew members off, while Schoolmeester continued fishing despite an official directive to return the boat to port.
He didn’t want to go back in with an empty net, Mr Lanskey told the court.
When the vessel did return to port, AMSA carried out an inspection that identified multiple safety faults.
A large hole was revealed in the hull when the vessel was taken out of the water.
Schoolmeester had downplayed the grounding, saying the vessel had only “touched mud”.
Safety failures reported by AMSA included a lack of crew training and experience, the life raft and emergency locator beacon being incorrectly stowed and a risk of fire from faulty navigation light wiring.
AMSA found the vessel’s safety management system was “not fit for purpose”, creating a significant risk to the safe operation of the vessel, Mr Lanskey said.
Defence lawyer John Lawrence said his client’s non-compliance with safety regulations was “not intentional or reckless” and the father of three was now banned from engaging in commercial fishing.
The fishing ban stemmed from other matters in Queensland where Schoolmeester is facing a trial on servitude charges in Cairns in 2027, Mr Lawrence told the court.
Those police charges relate to accusations Schoolmeester mistreated deckhands.
Schoolmeester and his family were now financially hard up and he had a battle ahead of him, Mr Lawrence said.
Judge Woodroffe said he took into account Schoolmeester’s financial circumstances and guilty pleas in convicting and fining him $4000, while also fining his company Northern Coastal Fisheries $2000.
AAP