THE SINKING of a fishing vessel, the Pere Charles, off the south-east coast in January 2007 with the loss of five lives has been referred to the Garda, following completion of the official investigation.
The inquiry by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has been passed to Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey, following completion of a draft which found that no stability tests were carried out after the vessel was modified.
Legislation at the time, which has since been amended, exempted vessels that were 15-24 metres from such surveys.
The vessel was also carrying a greater load of herring than on previous trips, and was lying deeper in the water when it was swamped, as waves breaking over the stern became trapped in the forward section of the vessel.
A spokesman at Arklow Garda station said that as a matter of procedure the case has now been handed over. The Marine Survey Office has finished its forensic examination of the Pere Charles, the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the Marine Casualty Investigation Board investigation into the Maggie B, which sank with the loss of two lives in March 2006, is still ongoing.