A deckhand died after becoming entangled in a rope which pulled him overboard, an investigation has found.

The man was shooting creels on the fishing vessel Kingfisher when the incident happened off Wick in the Highlands on July 12.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found it was probable that he had inadvertently passed a toggle on the creel rope through a loop on his personal flotation device (PFD) when connecting the creel to the rope.

After he was pulled overboard, the deckhand PFD automatically inflated and he initially surfaced, leading the crew to believe that he was clear of the backrope and floating freely.

They cut the backrope and manoeuvred the vessel to rescue the man, but found he was still attached to the gear and by then had been pulled underwater by the fleet of creels.

He was recovered onboard but despite the efforts of the vessel’s crew, RNLI lifeboat crew and a paramedic from an HM Coastguard rescue helicopter, he could not be revived and was pronounced dead.

In a report on its initial findings, the MAIB stated: “After the recovery of the deckhand, it was found that the leg rope of the last creel that had been shot away was threaded through the PFD’s red webbing lifting strop.

“This had connected the deckhand to the running backrope and caused him to be pulled overboard.

“It is probable that the deckhand had inadvertently passed the toggle on the creel’s leg rope through the red webbing strop while connecting the creel to the backrope.”

The MAIB said that the PFD safety loop was a snagging hazard that had not been identified and has issued a safety bulletin to the fishing industry.

It recommends that owners and crew of creel fishing boats review their deck working risk assessments to ensure that hazards associated with shooting or recovering creels, such as risk of entrapment in a running backrope, are fully mitigated.

It also recommends that when provided, PFDs should be of the required standard and appropriate for work undertaken, and that when new hazards are identified, the information should be shared promptly among the crew and alternative PPE be sourced as soon as possible.

The MAIB will publish a full report once it has completed its investigation into the incident.

It said that safety recommendations “shall in no case create a presumption of blame or liability”.