I am a chartered engineer and currently Director of Hook Marine Ltd, a company formed to develop engineering solutions for maritime safety. I was asked by a contact in the Department for Transport to study the terrible losses of vessels in our fishing fleet, and to propose solutions.

My 2010 Fellowship, in Canada and the USA, concentrated on the methods employed there to reduce accident rates in commercial fishing. The vital lessons learned centred on training being the most important technique for the safety of fishing vessel crews. Above all, hands-on demonstrations of equipment followed by periods of familiarisation were seen to be keys to progress in accident reduction.

Vessel losses happen most often as a result of inadequate stability, where the vessel becomes top-heavy. This dangerous condition can be caused through ill-advised modifications, and by water ingress or ice formation in mid-ocean.

Since 2010, I have been engaged in the development of a stability monitor to provide safety-critical indication of vessel stability at sea, and I am now ready to introduce the product to our fishermen through hands-on teaching and training.