Ferry officer sentenced for deadly fishing boat collision

A ferry officer has been sentenced to one year and eight months in prison after a collision with a fishing boat resulted in multiple fatalities. Thirty-year-old Lewis Carr was on the bridge of the Commodore Goodwill when it struck the trawler L'Ecume II off the coast of Jersey in December 2022, claiming the lives of fishermen Michael Michieli, Larry Simyunn, and Jervis Baligat.

In September, Carr was convicted of violating Jersey's maritime regulations. However, the jury was unable to reach a decision on three manslaughter charges.

The Royal Court heard that the Commodore Goodwill was behind schedule and that Carr disregarded multiple collision alerts on the radar roughly ten minutes before the impact. Prosecutors described his actions as a series of errors that ultimately proved deadly. Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit stated, "Mr. Carr failed to properly manage and communicate with the lookout, Arthur Sevash Zade, regarding the imminent risk of collision."

Author: Harper Simmons