• Wreck of the L’Ecume II fishing trawler to be raised
• Raising the wreck will aid the investigation and offer potential new evidence
• Families have welcomed the decision
The wreckage of L’Ecume II fishing trawler, which sank in Jersey waters on 8 December 2022 following a collision between the Commodore Goodwill and the L’Ecume II trawler, is to be raised for evidential and humanitarian reasons.
The proposal has been welcomed by families affected by the tragedy. The States of Jersey Police have made the recommendation as it may assist in both the forensic and overall investigation.
The logistics of raising the wreck are being worked on with Ports of Jersey, who, using their maritime expertise, will be commissioning the raise with a specialist third party operator. It is estimated to take around six weeks to initially mobilise the specialist team in Jersey. Following this mobilisation, the progress of the operation will be dependent on favourable weather conditions and other factors. Further operational details will be provided in due course.
The Deputy Chief Minister, Deputy Kirsten Morel, said: “Raising the L’Ecume II will assist with the ongoing police investigation by providing access to potential best available evidence. It will also bean important thing to do for the bereaved families, and therefore there is a humanitarian aspect to raising the wreck.
“My thoughts remain with the families of Mick Michieli, Jervis Ramirez Baligat, and Larry Simyunn. The bodies of Jervis and Larry, which were brought ashore in December, have been repatriated to their families in the Philippines and they have been laid to rest in their hometowns. I would like to thank our External Relations Department who liaised with both the Embassy of the Philippines in London and the British Embassy in Manila for their support in ensuring safe repatriation. I would also like to thank the States of Jersey Police Family Liaison Officers who remain in regular contact with all the families.”
An independent investigation into the maritime incident (known as Operation Nectar), is being led by States of Jersey Police and is ongoing.
Government of Jersey Recovery Coordination Press Release