Jersey fishing boat sinking: Robot used to inspect vessel

A detailed inspection is under way of a fishing boat that sank after a collision with a freight ferry off the Jersey coast.

A remote-controlled underwater robot is at the site of the L'Ecume II, the Ports of Jersey (POJ) said.

Skipper Michael Michieli and crewmen Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat remain missing after the collision with the Commodore Goodwill on Thursday.

The site around where the crash happened is also being inspected.

The news comes as Condor Ferries, owners of the Commodore Goodwill, confirmed that after an inspection the vessel had been cleared to re-enter service.

The Bailiff of Jersey has launched an appeal to help those affected by the maritime collision.

It has been set up to also provide support for people in the wake of an explosion at a block of flats in St Helier early on Saturday.

With attention now switching to the recovery of the L'Ecume II, the survey of the crash site is expected to inform the next phase of the operation.

The MV Freja, a large offshore support vessel, was commissioned by POJ to conduct the survey at the site, which is expected to continue until Monday.

There were visible signs of a collision on the hull of the Commodore Goodwill in the wake of the collision, which led to the L'Ecume II sinking in about 131ft (40m) of water.

But John Napton, Condor's chief executive, said the ship would resume sailings to Jersey later after it was earlier repositioned to Portsmouth.

"Following completion of a dive inspection and other checks in Jersey on Friday, Commodore Goodwill has been cleared to re-enter service," he said.

"Condor continues to work closely with all authorities following the tragic incident last Thursday."

An investigation, led by Maritime Standards with support from police, has been commissioned.

Because its vessel is registered in the Bahamas, Condor said a separate "safety-focused investigation" will be run by the Bahamas Maritime Authority in collaboration with Jersey authorities.

The Jersey Coastguard, RNLI, Channel Islands Air Search and local fishermen were involved in the search for the crew of L'Ecume II.

But on Friday after two days of searching, the POJ said all rescue options had "been exhausted" in efforts to find the men.

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