Three senior officers including the Captain serving aboard the motor yacht Kibo have been sent home on an extended period of leave following an incident in which a 22 year old British sailor Jacob Nicol was seriously injured
The yacht management company Y.CO has taken steps to provide relief cover for the vessel’s Captain, 1st Officer and 3rd Officer, who will remain shoreside for the immediate future and while the Flag State investigation remains ongoing.
After saying nothing about the matter for over three weeks managers Y.Co have finally broken radio silence and issued a statement in which they said that the incident is a harsh reminder of the dangers that all mariners face daily.
They confirmed that while at anchor off Palma, Mallorca, at approximately 1130 local time on Sunday 3 May, the 82m, superyacht built by Abeking & Rasmussen suffered a serious crew casualty on board.
The statement continues: “The crew member fell into the water whilst carrying out routine maintenance work outboard. He was recovered from the water by on-board divers and given CPR by the crew before being transported to a nearby hospital to receive emergency treatment. Once the crew member’s condition was considered stable enough by his doctors he was transferred by air ambulance under observation to a leading UK medical facility on 13 May where he continues to receive ongoing medical care and treatment for his injuries.”
The statement describes how the Emergency Response team was notified of the incident at 1140 CET on Sunday 3 May saying; “A line of communication was opened between a senior DPA and the vessel. Immediate focus was to establish the status of the incident and procedures were followed to co-ordinate with the local authorities, the local agent, Flag State, the vessel’s insurers, the Owners and the crew member’s next of kin. A senior DPA, the Director of Yacht Management and the Senior Compliance Officer were all deployed from Monaco to provide local assistance, support and guidance to the family of the crew member, the vessel and its crew.”
The Cayman Islands Flag State is now conducting a full inquiry into the incident, and a Cayman Islands surveyor has been appointed to the case.
The statement continues: “The managers continue to provide post-incident support to all parties, and is working closely with the vessel’s insurers and Owners to coordinate the full coverage of immediate and ongoing medical expenses to the crew member involved, and financial assistance to enable his family to remain by his side.”
Gary Wright, Co-Founder and Chairman of Y.CO, said: “We are deeply saddened by this incident. As the yacht’s managers we are offering our full support to the crew member’s family, whom I have met with personally. Out of respect for all those involved, including the Owner and those crew aboard the vessel, we ask the media and the industry not to draw conclusions or to speculate until the investigation is complete. At this difficult time our thoughts remain with the crew member and his family.”