John Lang News

Shipping Minister David Jamieson has announced the appointment of a new Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents following an open competition. Stephen Meyer will take up his three-year appointment on August 1 2002 in succession to Rear Admiral John Lang who is retiring. The Chief Inspector heads the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), the independent body responsible for investigating maritime accidents involving U.K. flagged vessels anywhere in the world and foreign flagged casualties in U.K. waters. "Mr Lang has raised the profile of the MAIB and in doing so has made mariners and others more aware of the hazards they face. I have…

The number of accidents at sea is rising because fishermen and merchant shippers put profit above safety, a report by the British marine accident investigation branch said. The branch said 39 U.K.-registered fishing vessels were lost and 32 fishermen died in 2000, the highest rate since it began recording accidents in 1992. "A lot of people out there are trying extremely hard to produce a good service, (with) well-run ships, well-motivated and well-trained crews," Chief Marine Accident Inspector John Lang told BBC Radio. "But they are being undermined continually by a percentage ... Lang said vessels were often undermanned, which led to exhaustion of crew members and a failure to post night lookouts.