Lifting Failure on 25 TO LIFE – 1 Fatality

Lift Only From Rated Points and Stand Clear

Briefing on the US Coast Guard Report of Investigation 8120908 into the 25 TO LIFE dredge fatality. A scallop dredge fell on two crew members off Gloucester, Massachusetts, when an unrated lifting point broke.

What Happened:

25 TO LIFE is a 49.8 ft (15.2 m) fibreglass fishing vessel built in 2016. She mainly worked in the lobster fishery and started scallop dredging in 2025. She carried a crew of three: the master and two deckhands.

On 25 April 2025 she reached Stellwagen Bank, about 20 to 25 NM east of Gloucester, at 1430 LT. The crew made five tows. After emptying the fifth, they used the boom winch to lift the dredge to set it again. The dredge weighed more than 500 lb (227 kg). Both deckhands stood on the open stern deck, close to the hanging gear. The winch was hooked to a length of round bar on the dredge’s dumping assembly. That bar was never rated to be load bearing.

At 1545 LT it broke. The dredge swung down onto the deck, striking and trapping both deckhands.

At 1555 LT the master freed them and sent a MAYDAY on VHF Channel 16. Heavy radio traffic broke up the calls. The Coast Guard told the vessel to stay on scene, but at 1640 LT she headed for Gloucester without updating them. A Coast Guard boat reached her at 1706 LT and gave first aid.

One deckhand, a crew member, died from catastrophic chest injuries. The other deckhand, also a crew member, suffered broken ribs, a collapsed lung and head injuries. The autopsy showed the fatal injuries happened on impact. The Coast Guard found the delays in achieving a rendezvous did not change the outcome.

Immediate Operational Checks:

Check the following before the next lifting operation:

• Lifting points: Look at where the hook goes on every lift. Use only SWL-rated points that are designed, marked and certified for the load. If the hook goes on a bar, bracket or rail that was never meant for lifting operations, stop and change it.
• Gear fit: Lift your dredge or net with the gallows, A-frame or boom and check that it clears the deck. If you have changed fishery or gear size, check the rig again.
• Lifting Area: Before each lift, the deck supervisor should name the lifting and landing area. Then check that everyone is out of it. Nobody should stand under or beside a hanging load. Access should be restricted using barriers where practicable.
• Guiding the gear: If gear must be steadied, use a tag line or a boat hook so the deckhand or riggers stay outside the lifting area.
• Position and radio: Keep your GPS position in latitude and longitude ready to read out, and ensure DSC positions are accurate. Always give a relative position as well, with a range and bearing from a named charted object. Do not leave the scene of a casualty, or change course, without agreeing it with the responding Coast Guard or MRCC.
• Never Improvise: It may be common practice on your vessel, but do not improvise or use workarounds. Lifting plans should be accurate. Only use approved and tested lifting gear and rigging. Check your risk assessments are up to date and appropriate.
• All crew should remember, you have a right to stop work if you suspect it is unsafe: You can ask to see risk assessments, lifting plans, and safe working load test certificates for any gear you are required to use. If the equipment is damaged, or its ID markings are no longer visible, DO NOT USE IT. Quarantine the gear until it is confirmed safe by a competent person.

Lessons Learned:

• Gear too big for the vessel: The dredge was too large for the stern A-frame, so it could not clear the deck. This mismatch pushed the crew into a risky workaround. When you change gear or fishery, check that the whole lifting arrangement fits before you sail. If it does not, change the frame or the gear, not the working method.
• An improvised lifting point: The crew routinely hooked the winch to round bar that was not designed or rated for lifting (i.e. no WLL or SWL). Each lift stressed the bar until it broke without warning. A shortcut that has always worked can still fail on the next lift. Lift only from rated points. Treat any improvised lifting point as unsafe until a competent person proves otherwise.
• People in the lifting area: Both deckhands stood within the swing radius of the hanging dredge. The report suggests they may have needed to push or guide it to clear the stern. That removed the last defence when the bar broke. Plan the job so nobody needs to be under or beside a suspended load. If hands-on guiding is the only way to make the lift work, you need to reassess your procedures and equipment.
• No protection once it falls: The crew wore normal fishing gear and no helmets. The report says a helmet would give no real protection against a falling 500 lb (227 kg) dredge, and barriers on an open stern deck are not practical. Distance is the only defence. The lifting plan itself must keep people clear. Account for vessel motions at the extreme working limit.
• Clear communication in an emergency: The master gave the position as old LORAN time-difference lines, and the call was broken and hard to read. Heavy chatter on Channel 16 made it worse. The vessel then headed for Gloucester, away from the rescue boat and the major trauma centre in Boston. This was not ideal practice compared to industry guidance. It did not change the outcome here, but in another case it could cost a life. Give your position from GPS (not obsolete navigation systems), as well as relative bearing and distance from a named charted landmark or AtoN. Keep Channel 16 clear for distress traffic.

See also our briefing on the crane wire failure on Island Venture.

Tags: Fishing Vessel, Heavy Lifting, Deck Operations, Fatality

Official Report

Read the full safety report here: Report of the Investigation into the Loss of life aboard the commercial fishing vessel 25 TO LIFE (O.N. 1283803) approximately 25 nm East of Gloucester, MA on April 25, 2025