Tired Condor crew's attention was five times more likely to lapse at time of fatal collision - Jersey Evening Post
by Megan Davies · Jersey Evening PostPosted inNews
Tired Condor crew’s attention was five times more likely to lapse at time of fatal collision
by Megan Davies 4 June 20264 June 2026
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SHIFT patterns that left crew sleep-deprived and a “normalised” culture of not integrating lookouts contributed to the 2022 L’Ecume II collision that killed three fishers, an investigation has found.
The Bahamas Maritime Authority published its report on the collision between the Commodore Goodwill, at the time a Condor Ferries ship registered in the Bahamas, and fishing boat L’Ecume II.
Last year, Condor crew member Lewis Carr – the most senior member of staff on the bridge of the freight vessel at the time of the collision – was convicted of conduct endangering ships, structures or individuals under the Shipping (Jersey) Law and jailed for 20 months.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on three charges of gross negligence manslaughter.
His co-accused, Artur Sevash-Zade, was cleared of manslaughter and discharged after jurors were unable to reach a majority verdict on the alternative charge.
The report, which cannot be used as evidence in court, found that both vessels had made small alterations to its course and that the Condor crew thought they had enough space to pass the L’Ecume II.
The skipper of the L’Ecume II, Michael Michieli, was later found inside the boat, “almost certainly” fixing an issue in the generator room. His two crew, Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat, were found in the wreck, the report stated.
The Commodore Goodwill had two crew on the bridge at the time and the ship was on autopilot as they prepared to arrive in Jersey.
In its report, the maritime authority found that the Goodwill’s lookout – Mr Sevash-Zade – had been sent to breakfast and returned to the bridge before the collision, but that he was “not sufficiently integrated into the bridge team”.
Sending the lookout away had been “normalised” in fleets worldwide and was “a recurrent factor in investigations into collisions and groundings”, it added.
The crew, the authority found, had recently changed their shift pattern to a “rolling eights” arrangement (eight hours on/eight hours off), which “did not meet the prescribed minimum requirements for rest in any 24-hour period”.
The Condor crew would have been 5.3 times more likely to have a lapse in attention, it added.
Along with ensuring enough rest, the authority recommended “effective” use of bridge resources – with all crew able to react to critical situations – and that vessels should react early to avoid collisions.
After the collision, the authority found that Condor had reviewed how deck officers applied marine laws, appointed a marine standards officer to monitor and develop standards, and stressed the importance of integrating lookouts during simulation training sessions.
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