Poor communication contributed to Pinoy seafarer ventilation shaft death, MAIB finds

Poor communication contributed to seafarer ventilation shaft death, MAIB finds
9 October 2024 https://www.nautilusint.org/en/news-insight/news/poor-communication-cont...

A report from the UK Maritime Accident Investigation Bureau (MAIB) into the death of a seafarer, who was killed by a 10m fall down a ventilation shaft, has found that poor communication and poor safety practices onboard contributed to the accident.

The seafarer was serving onboard the bulk carrier Equinox Seas, which was berthed at the ONEX Syros Shipyard in Greece on 17 April 2024 to undergo routine maintenance.

On the morning of the accident, the crew were instructed to 'clean and tidy' the ship before scheduled departure. At 13.50 a crew member working in the fan room reported hearing a scream and, unable to locate his colleague, concluded that he had fallen down the ventilation shaft into the engine room.

MAIB investigators concluded that the response to the accident by all organisations involved was 'timely and effective'. The incident was reported immediately via handheld radio and an emergency alarm sounded. Although emergency services arrived quickly, the crewmember died while in hospital care.

The MAIB report, however, identified several failures regarding the management of crew safety onboard the Equinox Seas. Most notably, communication around safety issues specific to the conditions of the shipyard was poor and was exacerbated by the ship's 'fragmented' management onboard. Moreover, the report reveals that communication between crew and shipyard staff was similarly poor and left crew members unaware of potential hazards.

A clear example of the poor safety practices onboard the Equinox Seas can be seen in the lack of signage pointing to the drop itself, which was marked only by thin yellow tape.

In response to the accident, the company managing the ship, Equinox Maritime Ltd, has changed its safety management system to better address risks associated with the shipyard environment. In addition to this, ONEX Syros Shipyards S.A. has received a recommendation to update its own safety management system to ensure that its workers can communicate effectively with crew members in order to mitigate risk.

Filipino seafarer falls to his death on Equinox bulker in Greece
Harry Papachristou 21 April 2023 https://www.tradewindsnews.com/casualties/filipino-seafarer-falls-to-his...

Incident occurred on supramax docked at ONEX Neorion Shipyards

A 37-year-old Filipino engine cleaner died on the Greek island of Syros this week in unclear circumstances.

The incident took place on the 52,000-dwt Equinox Seas (built 2003), a Greek-managed vessel docked at an ONEX ship repair yard on the Aegean island of Syros.

Labour union officials identified the victim as Emanuel Tayong, who fell from a height of 12 metres while working on the ship.

Greek coastguards confirmed the incident without elaborating on the causes of the fall and pointed to an investigation by their Syros branch.

According to the coastguard statement, Tayong was taken to Syros hospital, where he died during an operation to save his life.

The incident occurred on 17 April, which was Greek Orthodox Easter Monday.

Managers at Equinox Maritime, the Greek company controlling the Cayman Islands-flag vessel, did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

According to the leftist Pemen-Stefenson engineers’ union, work on the ship and the shipyard continued uninterrupted, despite the accident.

Raising safety concerns, Pemen-Stefenson and Greece’s main opposition Syriza party urged authorities to investigate thoroughly.

After sending a team to the island, Pemen-Stefenson said local labour inspection offices there are short-staffed and shipyard managers professed incompetence to investigate since the ship is under a foreign flag and seafarers on it are not Greek.

Previously known just as Neorion, the Syros shipyard has been attracting clients in recent years after a successful turnaround by ONEX Technologies, a versatile group that acquired it.

In a statement released on 24 April, shipyard managers expressed their grief over the death of the seafarer while at the same time dismissing any responsibility for it.

The “tragic, lethal incident... [took place] outside and beyond the jurisdiction, operation and the institutional texts governing our shipyard,” they said.