Myanmar seaman drowns in Taiwan sea accident

Myanmar seaman drowns in Taiwan sea accident
John Liu , Pei-Hua Yu 17 Feb 2020 https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-seaman-drowns-taiwan-sea-accident.html

aiwan's Coast Guard rescues the Myanmar seaman and the workboat captain. Photo: Taiwan Coast Guard Administration
A Myanmar seaman fell from an oil tanker and died on the spot on the weekend in southern Taiwan, the Taiwan Coast Guard said on Monday.

The 31-year-old victim was about to leave for the shore on Saturday when he fell off the vessel in the sea off the port city of Kaohsiung at about 5pm. He just concluded his contract and was ready to return to Myanmar.

The victim could have lost his balance while descending to a tender boat on a rope ladder, a news report by Taiwan’s national news agency CNA said.

The ship captain surnamed Luo, of a pass-by workboat jumped into the water in an attempt to save him, while the Coast Guard sent two ships to rescue the victim, but to no avail.

Coast Guard rescuers took the Myanmar seaman out of the water with both his arms gone and only his shoulders remained.

The Myanmar national was declared dead at around 6pm at a local hospital. It was not yet determined how the victim lost his two arms but Kaohsiung Harbour Police said it must have been cut off by the rope ladder. The police are still conducting an investigation on the cause of his death.

As the tanker named Hong Ching is not registered in Taiwan, a follow-up investigation would not be easy, according to a source close to the Taiwan government’s fisheries agency.

Hong Ching is sailing under the flag of West African country Sierra Leone. It is owned by an Eastern African tax haven Seychelles-registered company Yong Da Line Corporation. Its official website claims the company is listed under the Taiwan Stock Exchange. However, no information about this company could be found on the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

It is a common practice to register vessels in tax havens and jurisdictions with weak maritime legal enforcement to avoid taxation and labour rights regulations.

There are approximately 300 Myanmar nationals working in Taiwanese fishing vessels, as of the end of 2019. The numbers exclude those hired by foreign-registered vessels and tankers controlled by Taiwanese owners, such as Hong Ching. Indonesians make up the majority of foreign workers hired by Taiwanese fishing vessels.

Pei-Hua Yu contributed to the reporting from Taiwan.