Captain’s exhaustion ends in fishing vessel grounding: NTSB

The three crewmembers on board were rescued by a Boston Police Harbor Patrol boat at 08:27 after the captain made a mayday call and activated an emergency beacon. Although no injuries were reported, the vessel later sank and was declared a constructive total loss valued at $720,000.

An estimated 4,000 gallons (15,141 litres) of diesel fuel was on board at the time of the incident, resulting in a visible sheen in the water. Bill and Eileen, the operating company, provided the captain's contact details to the US Coast Guard after initial radio communication attempts failed.

The captain was navigating alone on autopilot while the two deckhands were asleep when the vessel drifted off course. The NTSB noted that the Eileen Rita was not equipped with a watch alarm, which is an automated system designed to detect operator disability or absence.