Belgian fisherman drowned after drinking in Milford Haven
- Published
The fishermen had been waiting at Milford Haven for their ship to be repaired
A fisherman who was "used to the risks and hazards" of life at sea drowned after a night drinking in local pubs, an inquest heard.
Fernand Mussche, 56, arrived in Milford Haven from Zeebrugge in November 2019.
After drinking in the Pembrokeshire town, he fell into the dock and drowned, with coroner Paul Bennett recording an accidental death.
The Haverfordwest inquest heard Mr Mussche had been drinking Bacardi and coke with two other Belgian men.
Mr Bennett called it a "tragic case of somebody who'd been working on vessels at sea for a considerable amount of time and was used to the risks and hazards of that type of work, but who met his death when his vessel was docked".
Mr Mussche was a deckhand on the Belgian fishing vessel Zilvermeeuw, which arrived in Milford Haven on 10 November and was due to leave the next day, but stayed an extra 24 hours for repairs.
Slipped and fell
Crew members visited local pubs, with a landlord describing "three drunk Belgian men", who were being "loud, but no trouble".
When Mr Mussche returned to the boat with another crew member just before midnight, the inquest heard he was struggling to walk unaided, but refused help before slipping and falling into the water.
He was seen trying to swim towards the quayside ladder but was face down in the water when he was pulled out, the inquest heard.
Mr Mussche was taken to Withybush Hospital, but died in the early hours of 12 November.
A toxicology report found that Mr Mussche had a blood-alcohol concentration of 269mg per 100ml which the coroner said was "sufficient to impair cognitive behaviour and motor function".