A man has been charged with the sinking of a fishing boat which ran aground near Fraserburgh two years ago.
David Cooper did not appear at Peterhead Sheriff Court to hear the charge, which alleges he was responsible for the Ocean Maid striking rocks whilst it was travelling to Fraserburgh.
The four fishermen on board had to be rescued following the incident on October 24, 2022.
Aberdeen Coastguard was called to assist the Ayr-registered boat, the BA55 Ocean Maid, beside Cairnbulg Beacon just before 6am.
The fishermen were taken to a life raft and then picked up by the RNLI’s Fraserburgh lifeboat before being transferred to hospital.
Cooper, whose address was given as James Brown Avenue, Ayr, did not submit a plea and will have to appear in court next month.
It is alleged he left the wheelhouse unattended whilst acting in the capacity of watchkeeper and failed to take evasive action to prevent the vessel running aground.
He is charged under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, and it is also alleged he failed to “adequately monitor” the ship’s speed, course or position.
Ocean Maid abandoned after hitting rocks at Cairnbulg Point
The ship hit the rocks at Cairnbulg Point and was abandoned, leaving the vessel to break up in the sea within days.
Concerns were raised at the time about pollutants from the ship contaminating the water, but investigations made by Aberdeenshire Council found no evidence of this.
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