Singapore Prosecutes Master and Crew of Chemical Tanker for Death of Sailor

The Public Prosecutor in Singapore is proceeding with a case against the master, chief officer, and the pump master of a Vietnamese chemical tanker after a crewmember died after entering a tank that had not been properly vented and inspected. The Straits Times newspaper reports that the pump master pleaded guilty on July 2 to one count of acts endangering the life of his fellow crewmember.

The charges stem from an incident aboard the chemical tanker GT Win (15,000 dwt), which had arrived in Singapore on May 11, 2024, transporting a cargo of naphtha. The vessel, which is registered in Vietnam, offloaded its cargo and moved into the anchorage.

While it was in the anchorage, the chief officer, Dao Tien Manh, ordered three crewmembers to clean the emptied tanks, although according to prosecutors, he had failed to check the oxygen levels and the necessary safety checks. Further, he instructed the pump master, Le Thanh Dung, to make modifications to the mask of the breathing apparatus. He connected the mask’s hose to an air bottle on deck, which prosecutors called “impractical,” noting space constraints at a staircase, according to the Straits Times’ report.

One of the seafarers, Hoang Van Chau, became unconscious while working in one of the tanks. The crew attempted CPR and requested emergency medical assistance from shore. Chau was pronounced deceased at a local hospital, dying from exposure to volatile hydrocarbons, the newspaper reports.

The pump master told investigators that Chau was found unconscious inside tank 6 instead of tank 4, which had not been declared gas-free before he entered the tank. Dung later admitted to the false information in two written statements provided to investigators.

He further told investigators that he showed the modified mask to the vessel’s master, Nguyen Duc Nghi. He contends the master threw the mask into the sea, reports the Straits Times, and told the crew to lie about it to the police. The master reportedly said that they needed to do this so that Chau’s family would get the insurance money.

Dung, the pump master, was sentenced to three months and two weeks in jail after his guilty plea. The cases against the master and chief officer for their role in the death are still pending in the Singapore courts.