Damaged tuna boat in port

Press, 12 April 1980, Page 6

Damaged tuna boat in port

PA Whangarei The American tuna boat Voyager was at Port Whangarei yesterday, her bulky 122-metre mast bent like [fencing wire and her deck [draped in twisted steel and [cables caused by an accident which killed a crewman last Franjo Martinis, aged 46. week.

The Voyager had set her nets off Norfolk Island on April 1 and was riding a big swell when the mishap occurred. Most of the 19 crew were on deck directly under the mast. The six-tonne boom is believed to have slipped out of its coupling, throwing its full weight on the upper mast.

The 19mm steel-tube mast snapped under the strain and killed Mr Martinis. The vessel rode the swell for 21 days, using bow thrusters and her main skiff to keep the $500,000 net from tangling while the tuna boat Finisferre sped to her aid from Whangarei. An Auckland message says that the skipper of the

Voyager had been suspected of having fished illegally in Australian waters. He would not comment on the issue yesterday. . ’ Mr Frank Gargas took over as skipper at Norfolk Island, where the boat put in after the fatal accident.

An Australian official said that while the police were investigating the death, they found that the boat might have been working inside Australia’s 200-mile limit.

Officials told Mr Gargas to stay in port while the death was investigated, according to a Press Association report from Sydney. However, the Voyager slipped away some time on April 4. Speaking from Whangarei, Mr Gargas said he was unaware there were any police instructions to stay in port. Mr Gargas said that he had not been the skippet when the boat had beer fishing. Asked if the boa; had intruded into Australian waters, he said: “I guess yqy might say we were insidi the limit.”