Boat impounded by police after death of two swimmers sold to wildlife trips firm
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The boat which was impounded by police following the death of two young swimmers next to Bournemouth pier has been bought to carry out wildlife spotting trips in Devon.
The previous owners, Island Cruises, put the Dorset Belle up for sale after the local council suspended boat trips from the pier at the seaside resort following the fatal incident on May 31.
Joe Abbess, 17, and Sunnah Khan, 12, drowned, and eight other people were treated by paramedics after they were suspected to have been caught in a riptide next to the pier at the Dorset seaside resort.
Dorset Police impounded the pleasure cruiser Dorset Belle at its berth in Poole Harbour following the fatal incident.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) earlier this week released a statement that no boat was involved in the deaths.
Now the boat, which has been repainted and renamed the Dolphin Princess, has been purchased by WeFerry/FunFish to be its flagship vessel for wildlife spotting trips and pleasure rides operating out of Brixham.
WeFerry owner John Ford said: “We feel for everyone involved in what has happened, it has ruined so many lives.”
He added: “WeFerry are extremely proud to bring this beautiful flagship addition to the Funfish fleet.
“She will also be supporting local charity events and offering increased capacity to our extremely popular Fish n Chip cruises in partnership with Rockfish.”
The MAIB said in a statement on Tuesday: “Having conducted a thorough preliminary assessment of the circumstances of this tragic accident the MAIB has decided that no formal investigation will be launched.
“This was a truly tragic accident but our understanding of the circumstances is that it did not involve a vessel and therefore is not something the branch would investigate.”
A man in his 40s, who police said was “on the water” at the time, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and later released under investigation.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council suspended boat operations from the pier.
An inquest into the deaths of the two youngsters, which was opened at Bournemouth Town Hall earlier this month, heard that they were part of a group of people thought to have been caught up in a riptide in the sea near the pier.
Post-mortem examinations found that they both died of drowning, the inquest was told, before coroner Rachael Griffin adjourned proceedings to a further hearing in September.
Dorset Police said the beach was extremely busy at the time of the incident but that neither of the youngsters nor anyone else pulled from the sea had been involved in any collision or contact with any vessel in the water.
