Apprentice Engineer, 20, Dies After Toxic Gases Fill Fishing Trawler’s Engine Room — Mother Shares Heartbreaking Tribute

A young apprentice engineer died after toxic gases suddenly filled the cramped engine room of a fishing trawler, leaving him unable to escape. Nearly seven years after the tragedy, his family are still struggling with the loss, as his mother has shared an emotional tribute describing the empty space his death has left in their lives. The company that operated the vessel has now been fined following a workplace safety investigation.

Conor Moseley, 20, died on November 15, 2019, while working aboard the fishing vessel Resurgam, which was moored in Newlyn Harbour, Cornwall, England. He and three other workers were carrying out work in the engine room when a fire suppression system, which was being installed on the boat, unexpectedly activated. The system released hot, hazardous gases into the confined space, rapidly creating dangerous conditions and severely limiting visibility.

The engine room was particularly difficult to escape from because it had only one exit. Workers had to climb a ladder and pass through a hatch one at a time, moving through a jet of gas hotter than 75°C. While the other workers managed to get out, Conor was overcome by carbon monoxide and other substances. His colleagues attempted to rescue him but could not reach him safely. Firefighters eventually recovered him from the engine room, but he could not be revived.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s workplace safety regulator, uncovered significant failings in how the work had been organised. Several contractors were working in the cramped engine room, but the risks associated with their activities had not been properly assessed or coordinated. The space was described as poorly lit, cluttered and hazardous, with multiple workers operating in an area that offered little room to move. Investigators also found there was no effective emergency evacuation plan or safe system of work for installing the fire suppression equipment.

Conor’s mother, Tracy Moseley, spoke about the devastating impact his death has had on the family. She remembered how her son had always enjoyed helping his father with his fishing boat, often making himself available to help land the catch even after completing a full day’s work. She described the loss as an emptiness that could never be filled. In one particularly heartbreaking detail, she revealed that Conor’s ashes remain in his bedroom, where she visits every morning and night to speak to him and blow him a kiss. She said she never says “good morning,” because life no longer feels like a good morning without her son.

The case returned to court in October 2026, when W. Stevenson & Sons Limited, the company that owned and operated the trawler, pleaded guilty to two health and safety offences at Truro Crown Court. The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £27,906 in costs. The HSE said better planning, coordination between contractors and a proper emergency response system could have reduced the risks. For Conor’s family, however, the legal outcome cannot undo the loss of a young man whose life was cut short while doing his job.

Source: The Sun