A collision between a yacht and a fishing boat off Marsamxett in July, which resulted in the death of angler Joseph Gatt Baldacchino, 81, could not have been avoided, an inquiry has concluded.

Mr Gatt Baldacchino fell off his 14-foot boat following a collision with the yacht, Sorcery, owned by auditor John Zarb. An autopsy later revealed the cause of death was “asphyxia due to drowning”. The fishing boat sank.

The inquiry, commissioned by the Transport Ministry, was carried out by lawyer George Said. The ministry said the full report was not being published because it contained personal details of the people involved in the incident.

It, however, published an extract of the report’s conclusion which stated: “From the evidence... gathered during the course of (the) preliminary inquiry and from the technical advice... given together with the medical reports received, it would seem that all the physical circumstances combined together made this incident very difficult for all of the parties concerned to avoid.”

As a result of this conclusion, Dr Said did not recommend any further action be taken against anyone, adding that he “did not see added value in conducting a formal investigation in terms of the Merchant Shipping Act”.

However, he made a number of recommendations to improve safety within the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. These, the ministry said, had been forwarded to Transport Malta for implementation. No details of these recommendations were made public.

Soon after the incident, Mr Gatt Baldacchino’s wife and four children filed a judicial protest in court calling on the Police Commissioner to investigate and take criminal action against Mr Zarb for manslaughter.

Replying to these claims, Mr Zarb denied negligence and stressed he had abided by all rules and regulations.