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L’Ecume II recovery operation demobilises

05 May 2023


The operation to recover the L’Ecume II fishing trawler has been demobilised following the successful completion of the operation’s key objectives:

  • the location and recovery of Mr Michieli 
  • the recovery of elements of the L’Ecume II vessel structure

The States of Jersey Police have notified the Harbour Master that they have no further tasks for the recovery teams to complete at the wreck site. 

The specialist teams and recovery vessels that arrived in Jersey last month have now departed. 

The anchors and corresponding buoys have been removed from the wreck site and a post-recovery site survey has been completed to ensure there are no hazards to navigation at the site.

The maritime exclusion zone which was extended last month when the recovery operation began has now been fully removed and free passage has been reinstated. A notice to mariners has been issued today.

Parts of the vessel structure which were recovered from the seabed have now been moved to a secure location. The wreck of L’Ecume II is now in the possession of States of Jersey Police and will form part of the ongoing police investigation.

Deputy Chief Minister and Chair of the Political Oversight Group for the Major Incidents, Deputy Kirsten Morel, said: “The recovery operation was mobilised for humanitarian and evidential purposes, with the main objective to locate and recover Mr Michieli.

“Following yesterday’s formal identification of Mr Michieli, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Michieli family at this very difficult time. My thoughts remain with the Michieli family, the many friends of Mr Michieli, and our closeknit fishing community.

“The teams involved in the operation have worked in the face of significant weather and operational challenges, yet they successfully completed what they set out to achieve. “As the operation comes to an end, I would like to thank them for their hard work and resilience during what has been a complex and sensitive operation to complete.”

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