An unexpected incident occurred on board a bulk carrier nearing the completion of loading corn cargo, causing two fumigation contractors to asphyxiate and resulting the death of one contractor.

A stevedore on board a general cargo ship was fatally crushed between the gantry crane and a hatch cover during cargo discharge in Antwerp, Belgium. Despite no one witnessing the incident, it is believed that he positioned himself between the moving gantry crane and the hatch cover to check on his team’s progress working in the hold.

A dragging anchor incident caused a general cargo ship to collide with two nearby ships, resulting in structural damage to all three ships. Fortunately, no pollution or loss of life was reported.

A seafarer lost his life after inhaling hydrocarbon fumes emitted from a bunker tank vent while the tanks were being heated.

A crew member suffered a fatal head injury on board a 20,236GT General Cargo Vessel

An incident on a 2,825 GT General Cargo ship resulted in the fatality of a Sea Pilot during a routine pilot transfer as the vessel was outbound.

A 43,472 GT bulk carrier ran aground on a charted shoal whilst on passage between the Philippines and Australia. The incident occurred after the vessel drifted from the track, with no audible or visual warnings given to the Officer of the Watch (OOW).

A bulk carrier was to carry out cargo hold cleaning while drifting in preparation for its next cargo with the help of a riding team contracted from ashore. During the third day of washing the cargo holds, one of the riding team members fell approximately 17 metres down into cargo hold no. 5 and was found motionless on the tank top. The person was later pronounced dead.

A fully cellular 1,400 TEU container ship was on a voyage from Melbourne to Fremantle, Australia, when water was found in an underdeck passage. It transpired that during heavy weather the hatch access lid on the forecastle deck leading to the forecastle store had been ripped off and dumped on the windlass, allowing water ingress into the forecastle.

A multi-purpose carrier was about to anchor after leaving port carrying a cargo of various types of fertiliser in bulk as well as general cargoes when white smoke was noticed emitting from cargo hold no.3. After a failed attempt to extinguish the suspected fire using the ship’s fixed CO2 system and with the risk of an explosion due to the decomposition of the fertiliser, the ship was evacuated and later declared a total loss.

A refrigerated cargo ship had berthed in Southampton to discharge a cargo of fruit. On the day of arrival the local port state authorities had boarded the ship in order to conduct a Port State Control (PSC) inspection, which included a lifeboat drill.

A small ship was chartered to carry a cargo of corn on a short haul voyage in Europe. On completion of loading, aluminium phosphide was placed in the holds to fumigate the cargo in transit.

While at anchorage an electrician did not appear for dinner and consequently a search was initiated. He was later found trapped inside the vessel’s elevator shaft between the elevator’s counterweight and a protective beam, where he had been working earlier that same day.

The Boston Trader was moored in the port of Oran, Algeria. While the crew were securing the containers loaded on deck, one seafarer was hit on the foot by the lower end of a falling lashing bar, which resulted in a serious injury.

FERNANDA a 2,576GT Ro-Ro ship built in 1982 was nearing the end of her voyage when a fire broke out in the engine room. Despite an early decision to deploy the ship’s fixed halon firefighting system the fire could not be extinguished, and the crew had to be evacuated by helicopter.

Two crew members on a general cargo ship were injured when a suspended load fell and struck them.

The second officer on a general cargo ship was fatally injured when he was crushed between the ship’s gantry crane and a stack of cargo hold hatch covers during post-cargo loading operations.

Two crew members on board a bulk carrier sustained serious injuries during the fall of a mobile scaffold tower that was being repositioned in a cargo hold while they remained on the scaffolding.

The Chief Officer (C/O) on board a bulk carrier entered a cargo hold containing logs and rapidly lost consciousness. A crew member entered the hold to try to rescue the C/O, but suffered the same fate. Both were later pronounced dead due to asphyxia.

An oil tanker was on passage when the ship’s electrician, who had been working alone, was fatally electrocuted while performing maintenance of the inert gas scrubber electrical system

While on passage at night, a 2,281gt general cargo ship ran aground on the Pentland Skerries in the eastern entrance of the Pentland Firth, Scotland

An AB on board a product tanker suffered severe injuries after falling from a portable ladder while conducting maintenance work on the launching system for the ship’s free-fall lifeboat and later tragically died from his injuries.

The Third Engineer (3/E) on board an anchored capesize bulk carrier was splashed by hot sludge while opening the manhole cover of a settling tank and subsequently died from a septic shock having sustained 2nd degree burns to a large part of his body.

An investigation report published by the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore has highlighted some sadly all too familiar lessons regarding the appropriate actions to be taken both before and after a collision

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (UK MAIB) has recently published its report on the HOEGH OSAKA, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) which grounded on Bramble Bank in the Solent shortly after departing Southampton in January 2015

NOCC OCEANIC, a 12 deck car carrier, left Keihin Port, Japan on 22 June, bound for Balboa, Panama.

On 10 December 2013 at 2245 the general cargo ship PAULA C was heading south-west in the Dover Strait traffic separation scheme. It was a dark, clear night with good visibility. She was in ballast, heading for Poole, England.