GovWire

The skipper and owner of a day angling vessel has been fined for travelling the wrong way along a shipping lane in the Dover Strait.

Simon Hughes, 64, of Marden in Kent, appeared at Maidstone Magistrates Court where he was ordered to pay a fine of 1,730, victim surcharge of 173 and prosecution costs of 25,000.

The case was brought by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) after Hughes vessel, Reel Fun 2, was observed by HM Coastguards Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Dover to be heading the wrong way along the south-west Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) on several occasions on 14 September 2022.

The vessels actions prompted HM Coastguard officers at the MRCC to try to make contact by radio broadcasts, without response.

A rogue vessel warning was broadcast to shipping using the TSS. Contact was only made with Reel Fun 2 after the intervention of a Royal Navy ship.

The sentence on 12 June was handed down by District Judge Leake.

MCA Investigator Mark Flavell said:

Large ships may have difficulty in seeing small vessels using the TSS. Failing to comply with the rules may cause confusion on the bridge of large ships resulting in alteration of speed and course.

This can have a knock-on effect for other large ships creating an unnecessary hazard to shipping.