Skipper John Collinson, aged 57, of the 50-foot long shell fishing boat Flourish lost his life, but three other crew members including his son John junior managed to get into a liferaft and were eventually saved.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), which conducted the inquiry shortly after the incident, has now confirmed earlier reports that neither the Flourish nor the 1,500 tonne merchant vessel Nautica were keeping a proper lookout at the time. It says the weather at the time was good with fair to good visibility.

The findings are particularly relevant because that area of the North Sea is one of the busiest areas of water around the UK, with large numbers of merchant ships and both white fish trawlers and shell fishing boats operating.

In a letter to the owners of the Lithuanian owned Nautica, (but registered in St Vincent in the Caribbean,) the MAIB has advised that the "company and master's standing orders are stringently adhered to with reference to passage planning and position fixing."

The letter to the owners added: "Bridge watchkeepers must use all available means to detect potentially dangerous situations at an early stage, with due regard for the additional visibility problems caused by the hatch gantry crane."

The report continues: "As a result of the collision, the fishing vessel, which was of wooden construction, 30 years old and registered in Ballantrae, suffered major structural damage and sank within seconds. Of the four crew on board three managed to get into a liferaft and abandon the vessel, sadly the fourth member of crew has still not been recovered."

Skipper Collinson, had worked as a fisherman for most of his life and in recent years had been concentrating on shell fishing, one of the few recent success stories for Britain's shrinking fish catching industry. Bridlington is now the centre of Europe's largest shell fishing operation and the fleet has expanded considerably in recent years. At the time Mr Collinson was described as a highly respected and well liked member of Bridlington's growing and highly successful shell fishing community. Other Bridlington fishermen have expressed worries that further collisions could occur unless commercial ships are told to steer clear of the shell fishing areas.

Another East Coast shellfish boat almost capsized within sight of Scarborough Harbour after getting into difficulties in heavy seas four days ago. The potter Matthew Harvey managed to make it back to port without assistance although it almost capsized a few hundred yards from safety. Scarborough Lifeboat operations manager Fred Normandale praised the boat's skipper, James Major from Grimsby, for his handling of the boat. Mr Normandale said: "He listened to the instructions that were given and did everything right. It was our decision to send the lifeboat out, because we thought the fishing boat would need assistance.

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