Seaman 'froze to death' in Clyde after 'unsafe crane' fall

Seaman 'froze to death' in Clyde after 'unsafe crane' fall
2 Nov 2020

A Polish seaman fell off a ship's "unsafe" crane platform into the River Clyde and died in the freezing water.

Stanislaw Bania, 58, died in December 2010 while he was working aboard cargo vessel "Joanna", owned by Joanna Shipping Limited.

He had been climbing onto a crane platform used to move the 30-year-old vessel's hatch covers.

A fatal accident inquiry heard Mr Bania and a colleague were told to close the hatches after cargo was unloaded.

The hearing at Glasgow sheriff court heard the covers required a crane to move them. Mr Bania's colleague was in control of it.
'No response'

Mr Bania was to assist by climbing up a platform on the opposite end of the ship which was berthed at the King George V docks.

The probe heard the colleague called for Mr Bania but there was no response.

Sheriff Alayne Swanson said: "He saw the deceased face down in the water one or two metres from the vessel's hull.

"No one saw the deceased fall from the vessel."

more...https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-54782802