Tag: fatality onboard

Enclosed space fatalities continue, as shipping lacks a thorough understanding of the risks faced by today’s seafarers while shipping industry investigations encourage a ‘blame culture’, according to a study by shipmanagement trade association InterManager. 

Two crew members on the Russian-flagged general cargo ship 'Vasily Golovnin' died in unidentified circumstances, while the ship was underway from Antarctica to South Africa. The ship is owned by Russian maritime transportation company Fesco.

British Columbia's workplace safety regulator, WorkSafeBC, finished its investigation on the fatal tug accident that took place at a sawmill on Okanagan Lake in 2017. According to the agency, an engine compartment hatch was unsecured, the person who lost its life was using a non-functioning inflatable life vest, while alcohol was also present on board the ship.

A crew member of the ferry Pathagon lost his life on April 28, in Punta Arenas, as a result of a line-handling accident. The crew member was handling a cable for docking when he got trapped in the line. Local media reported that one of his arms became got entangled in an unspecified deck equipment. The ferry sent out a distress call, while emergency services personnel rushed to the scene.

One worker lost his life on April 27, after jumping off a harbor crane that was on fire at the Port of Haldia, in Kolkata. Due to the fall, he sustained serious injuries, and died at the hospital. Operations at the berth are currently shut, while an investigation into the incident has started. The man had fallen from a height of about 50 feet. 

The ITF underlined a shocking spike in deaths in confined spaces, as a workplace hazard long familiar to the shipping industry. Since January 2018, 16 dockers and 12 seafarers have died from asphyxiation or explosions in confined spaces – or from falls after passing out due to bad air. 

The USCG issued a marine safety alert on a big vessel that manoeuvred its entry in a port due to hazardous weather conditions. The USCG notes that this casualty reiterates the dangers of personnel exchanges at sea, especially in heavy weather conditions.

The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority published its report on the death of a casual labourer from oxygen deficiency when he entered an unventilated spiral ladder leading down to one of the cargo holds. The probable cause was a combination of being unaware of the risks, because of lack of training and experience in discharging coal.

The capsizing of Herald of Free Enterprise, only a few minutes after leaving Zeebrugge port on 6 March 1987, killed 193 people. The incident is considered, not only as the deadliest casualty involving a UK-registered ship since 1919, but also as a wake-up call for safety improvements.

UK MAIB issued an investigation report on the capsizing of the fishing vessel 'Laura Jane' resulting in one fatality. The report identified issues related to the weight of fishing gear being carried, the vessel's very low freeboard, as well as the fact that the owner had not undertaken a stability assessment.