Professor John Robertson OBA

From ITV yesterday:

A Condor Ferry worker who endangered lives after his vessel collided with a fishing trawler has been handed a 20-month prison sentence. Lewis Peter Carr, from Sunderland, appeared at Jersey‘s Royal Court on Thursday 4 December to receive his sentence. He was found guilty in a trial this September of endangering ships, structures, or individuals – contrary to Jersey’s Shipping Law. The charge related to the collision of the Condor Commodore Goodwill Ferry and L’Ecume II on 9 December 2022, which resulted in the deaths of three fishermen aboard L’Ecume. https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2025-12-04/20-month-prison-sentence-for-ferry-worker-regarding-fatal-boat-collision

Condor Ferries makes around 10 000 sailings per year on six routes in fairly calm waters. CalMac makes 170 000 sailings on 29 routes to 50 destinations in stormy seas, yet:

Has a CalMac ferry ever killed a fishing boat crew member?

No, there is no recorded incident in which a CalMac ferry has killed a fishing boat crew member. Extensive searches of news archives, maritime accident reports, and official records (including those from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch and CalMac’s safety logs) reveal no collisions between CalMac vessels and fishing boats resulting in fatalities. CalMac, which operates over 30 routes primarily in Scotland’s west coast and islands, has been involved in non-fatal incidents like groundings (e.g., MV Alfred in 2015, with no deaths) and passenger overboard events (e.g., rescues in 2024 and 2025, all successful). However, no events match the query’s specifics. Similar tragedies, such as the 2022 Condor Ferries collision off Jersey that killed three fishermen, involve other operators.

To see the 26 sources used by the AI see: https://x.com/i/grok?conversation=1996661798322229702