Recommendations

Fishermen need to be trained in how to use their safety equipment, according to the report's recommendations.

The fishermen's "cavalier attitude" towards safety must no longer be tolerated and the authorities need to immediately set up compulsory training sessions for them.

Training on how to use a vessel monitoring system should also include a distress button, says Anne Fenech, the author of the report.

She says more human and financial resources are needed in the Fisheries Department, which is in charge of monitoring the VMS signals sent from boats every two hours. If the signal is not sent, then the ship has to send it through another means, such as a satellite. However, Dr Fenech notes that this obligation is not "realistic" and is probably breached "regularly".

The armed forces are limited in terms of marine surveillance aircraft, she points out, calling on the government to increase their resources.

Speaking about the cooperation between the AFM and the fishermen, Dr Fenech says the former could have made more use of the fishermen's hands-on knowledge, and the fishermen, in turn, should have respected the AFM's organisational skills.

Referring to the autopsy report, Dr Fenech calls for a "greater level of detail", especially since there were no other witnesses to corroborate Simon Bugeja's version of events.

The Simshar was officially registered as Samsher, following an application error by Mr Bugeja who is illiterate. However, the name Simshar - a combination of the names Simon and Sharon - appeared on the boat's hull.

Dr Fenech notes that there was a very serious problem with Mr Bugeja not understanding the importance of having the official registered name on the vessel and that he probably was not the only fisherman to have this problem.

She suggests a three-pronged approach through collaboration between the Fisheries Department, the Merchant Shipping Directorate and the Fisheries Cooperative to prevent this abuse.

Finally, the use of LPG fuel for boats' engines should be monitored carefully, Dr Fenech recommends.