Investigation into L’Ecume II Called ‘Vast’ by Jersey Police

The police inquiry into the fatal collision between the fishing trawler L’Ecume II and the Commodore Goodwill was described as “huge in scale” by the senior officer in charge.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Shearwood said the most difficult stage of the investigation was recovering the wreck, with poor winter weather hampering efforts in the days after the tragedy.

Looking back on the case, he said his team pursued every possible lead in order to deliver the strongest evidence to the Royal Court and to the families of the three fishermen who died.

Last week, a jury cleared one ferry worker of manslaughter while failing to reach a verdict on the same charge against a colleague, following a four-week trial.

Really difficult days

The L’Ecume II left St Helier on the morning of 8 December 2022 with skipper Michael Michieli and crewmen Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat on board. All three lost their lives when the vessel collided with the Commodore Goodwill.

Shearwood said the days following the collision were some of the most testing of his career. “It was just before Christmas, in the middle of winter, and conditions made recovery very challenging,” he explained.

“It took a long time before we could safely access the wreck. Those weeks were incredibly hard, particularly waiting to bring the men home. Phoning a family to tell them their loved one has been recovered… and seeing them at the harbour when Michael was brought ashore — that was deeply emotional.”

A wide-ranging inquiry

The scale of the investigation was unprecedented for the force. More than 290 witness statements were gathered from 169 people, with 22 later called to testify in court. Officers also sifted through 800 documents, seized over 1,000 exhibits, and retrieved extensive CCTV evidence.

Shearwood described the recovery of surveillance footage as “no easy feat,” noting the urgency to preserve material before it was lost from digital systems.

The trial

The case led to charges of gross negligence manslaughter against Commodore Goodwill crewmen Artur Sevash-Zade, 35, and Lewis Carr, 30. Jurors acquitted Sevash-Zade, while they were unable to reach a verdict on whether he breached shipping law. Carr was convicted of a lesser breach of maritime regulations, but no verdict was reached on manslaughter.

After the verdicts, Shearwood praised the dignity of the victims’ families, who he said had endured an “immeasurable loss.”

“While nothing can undo the devastating events of that morning, we hope the conclusion of these proceedings offers some degree of closure for the families and for Jersey’s wider community,” he said.