The tragedy of the Simshar has raised fishermen's awareness of the importance of safety, with many paying increased attention to their emergency equipment to ensure it is in good working order, Fisheries Cooperative president Ray Bugeja said yesterday as the lampuki season kicks off.

"Before we barely gave a thought to the life rafts, but now fishermen are checking them to make sure that they are working properly in case they need them," he told The Times.

The tragedy, he said, has "definitely" increased awareness among fishermen, who will today be going out to fish for lampuki (dolphin fish).

But having safety equipment on board fishing vessels was not enough if fishermen did not know how to use it, he added.

Mr Bugeja also stressed that it was important for the authorities to launch regular checks on boats to make sure that all the safety equipment is in proper working order.

Yesterday evening a handful of fishermen gathered in Marsaxlokk for the annual blessing of the boats before they take to the sea again this morning.

But even as parish priest Vic George Vassallo stepped onto a boat to take him around the tens of moored fishing vessels, the atmosphere in the village was subdued. Marsaxlokk is still reeling from the shock of the Simshar sinking, in which three fishermen - 61-year-old Karmenu Bugeja, 33-year-old Noel Carabott and 21-year-old Somali Abdulrahman Abdala Gedi lost their lives. Theo Bugeja, 11, was never found and his father, Simon - the only survivor of the tragedy - said the 11-year-old died after a week in the sea following a fire in the engine room.

A total of €47,000 has been collected for the victims' families, a spokesman for the Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry told The Times. The funds include €16,000 from the two fisheries cooperatives, €1,000 from the ministry, €23,000 raised during a 12-hour telethon, more than €6,000 raised during a 30-hour hook-tying marathon last weekend and €900 deposited into the fund.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.