Master and Crew Feel Unsafe After Death On Board

Both the captain and the crew of a bulk carrier are refusing to sail after the death of a crew member on board. The man was hit in the head by a pulley and died a short time later.

The accident occurred while the Kanaris was 260 miles off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The ship is now docked in the Australian port of Gladstone, and its Greek captain says he won’t sail without private security.

International Transport Workers' Federation national coordinator Dean Summers said both the captain and the crew felt unsafe after the death of the Filipino crew member.

The body was removed from the ship in Papua New Guinea, but Summers said the crew are traumatized. “It was a grisly industrial accident. We have been able to talk to the crew to settle them down,” he said. “The Filipino crew don't want to sail because they believe the captain is unsafe. The captain won't sail unless he gets private security because he feels unsafe. It's a mess,” said Summers.