A SOPHISTICATED piece of safety equipment designed by the RNLI, which could save the lives of fishermen, has been highlighted in Fife this week.

The MOB Guardian is a satellite based man overboard and vessel locator system designed to raise the alarm when either a vessel or crew member gets into trouble.

The MOB Guardian team arrived in Pittenweem on Monday and Richard Scott, who works single-handed on a creel boat out of Pittenweem Harbour, Fife's main fishing port said: "I was approached by the RNLI to take part in the early trials for what is now called MOB Guardian.

"The trials gave me confidence in the unit, and I felt it would be daft not to go ahead, especially with the deals the insurance companies are offering.

"I have a family with two young children, and I want to give myself a fighting chance should I go overboard and someone will know when and where it happens."

William Hughes, manager of Pittenweem Fishermen's Mutual Association added: "I think what the RNLI is trying to do is excellent. Fishermen should take up the any offer of equipment that makes things safer at sea."

During 2007, RNLI lifeboats were called out to 669 incidents involving fishing vessels of which 21 were "man overboard". Incidents and three were capsizes.

David Smith, fishing safety manager for the RNLI in Scotland said fishing is recognised as the most dangerous occupation and on average 20 fishermen die each year in the course of their work in the UK and Irish waters, with 90% of these fatalities the result of fishermen ending up in the water.

A fisherman himself for 18 years, Mr Smith added: "Searching for a missing fishing boat or crew without a location can be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"It's dreadful when our volunteers know that fishermen may be in the water fighting for survival, but they just don't know where.

"Valuable time can easily be wasted in this situation, and MOB Guardian has been specifically designed to reduced this time to a minimum.

"When speaking to fishermen who are already fitted with MOB Guardian, it becomes very clear that this system raises their survival expectations.

"It also highlights the increase benefit of other safety gear like lifejackets and life rafts because they now believe that they'll have a fighting chance of surviving if the worst happens to them, and that if they can hold on, help with get to them."

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