Body recovered from wreckage of sunken Jersey fishing vessel, L'Ecume II

Lifeboat crews brought the body ashore in a coffin at around 8pm on Wednesday 26 April. Credit: ITV Channel

A body has been recovered from the wreckage of the L'Ecume II, a fishing boat which sank after a collision with a freight ship off Jersey's west coast in December 2022.

Three fishermen were on board when the vessel collided with Condor Ferries' freight ship, the Commodore Goodwill.

The bodies of crew members Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat were found, while the L'Ecume II's skipper, Michael 'Mick' Michieli, remained missing.

Michael 'Mick' Michieli, Jervis Baligat and Larry Simyunn were on board the L'Ecume II at the time of the collision. Credit: States of Jersey Police

Officials have confirmed that the crew working to raise the sunken trawler recovered a body on Wednesday evening (26 April).

The body was brought to shore in a coffin and is yet to be formally identified.

However, Jersey Police say Mr Michieli's family has been informed.

A passenger ferry, the Commodore Clipper, was due to arrive into Jersey's harbour at 7:20pm, but was delayed by an hour whilst the body was brought to shore.

In a statement, Jersey Police said: “An identification process will be taking place in due course, and we will not be commenting further until this has been confirmed.

“Our thoughts remain with the Michieli family who our Family Liaison Officers continue to support.”

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