L'Ecume II: Accused former Second Officer takes the stand

Lewis Peter Carr, the Commodore Goodwill's former Officer of the Watch, has spoken in court for the first time as his manslaughter trial continues.

The 30-year-old was on the bridge, acting as navigator, during the freight ship's collision with the L'Ecume II fishing trawler at around 5.30am on 8 December 2022.

He gave evidence as the defence began its case, with the trial at Jersey's Royal Court entering its third week. 

The defendant and co-accused Artur Sevash-Zade, who was the ship's look-out, both deny three counts of manslaughter following the deaths of skipper Michael Michieli and crewmen Jervis Baligat and Larry Simyunn.

Mr Carr began his testimony by introducing himself to the court and recounting his background at sea during his training to be an Officer of the Water with his sponsor, P&O Ferries.

The jury heard he decided to look into a career at sea during Sixth Form in Sunderland.

By 2019, Mr Carr started doing agency work after passing his exams, before being hired by Condor in 2020.

The 30-year-old then told the court about what it was like working for Condor and what was expected of him.

The court heard that it was normal for him to turn up at the vessel's bridge 10 to 15 minutes before the handover of controls, to familiarise himself before his shift.

 Commodore Goodwill

When asked about the collision alarm onboard the Commodore Goodwill, the former second officer says he never heard the alarm, which was supposed to accompany the flashing symbol.

He told the jury you needed a password to access the sound control settings.

His defence lawyer also asked him about his shift patterns when working onboard the Goodwill.

Mr Carr said that the previous shift pattern had left everyone tired, so the ship moved to a rolling eight-hour shift/rest pattern from 1 am.

The court heard that change took effect the week of the collision.  

However, the former second officer said he would have told someone if he was too 'exhausted' before his shift that morning, which started at 1 am as the vessel was en route from Portsmouth to Guernsey.

The prosecution allege the collision was caused by a 'catalogue of failings' and the defendants failure to monitor the fishing trawler's position.

The trial continues.

Previous stories:

L’Ecume II: Commodore Goodwill Captain recounts morning of collision

L'Ecume II: "One of the most knowledgeable fishermen" worried about large vessels

READ: L’Ecume II: Jury shown radar images in the moments leading up to collision

READ: Court hears L'Ecume II should have been spotted 10 minutes before collision