Two Filipino seafarers found dead aboard cargo ship off Tunisia

Two Filipino seafarers found dead aboard cargo ship off Tunisia
The Editorial Team November 11, 2026 https://safety4sea.com/two-filipino-seafarers-found-dead-aboard-cargo-sh...

Two Filipino seafarers were found dead aboard a Malta-flagged cargo ship while the vessel was sailing off the coast of Tunisia.

The deceased include a 50-year-old boatswain and a 47-year-old ordinary seaman, and were found unconscious inside a cargo hold access hatch on November 6, while the vessel was sailing near Tunisia’s Galite Islands. Their bodies were subsequently transferred to the Greek port of Kalamata, where authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, the Kalamata Port Authority was notified on November 8 by the vessel’s shipping agent that the cargo ship would arrive at the city’s anchorage to disembark the bodies of the two crew members who had died during the voyage.

As reported by local media, the bodies were transferred ashore with the assistance of the passenger launch Panagia Thalassini, allowing the necessary procedures for their repatriation to proceed.
Investigation underway into cause of death

The Central Port Authority of Kalamata has launched a preliminary investigation into the incident and requested autopsies from the Peloponnese Forensic Service to establish the exact causes of death.

Authorities are also collecting statements from crew members who were aboard the vessel at the time of the incident. The resulting case file will be forwarded to the competent prosecutor’s office. According to available information, the cargo ship is expected to continue its voyage as it retains the required minimum number of crew members.

Meanwhile, representatives of Malta’s competent maritime authority are expected to arrive in Kalamata to obtain information about the incident and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the two Filipino seafarers.

Should Maltese prosecutorial authorities request access to the evidence collected during the Greek investigation, they will be required to submit a formal request to the Kalamata Prosecutor’s Office through the established judicial cooperation procedures.

The causes of death remain unknown. Further details are expected to emerge following the forensic examinations and the completion of the preliminary investigation. At this stage, authorities have not established the circumstances that led to the deaths of the two seafarers.