Young Crewmember Killed By Sliding Watertight Door Aboard Greek Ferry

 

A young cadet aboard the ferry Blue Star Chios was killed Wednesday when he got caught in a sliding watertight door, according to authorities in Piraeus. 

The 20-year-old crewmember was an engineering student, and had been aboard the ship as a wiper since September 15. He was properly certified for basic training, and had undergone familiarization while boarding the ship. 

The watertight door connected a ro/ro deck with the engine room, and the crewmember was passing through the open hatch when it closed and fatally injured him. His crewmates immediately responded to the scene and retrieved him to the hatch; their efforts to save him were not successful. 

The hatch had to be manually activated, and would stop moving as soon as the actuation lever was released, officials told local media; standing rules required the hatch to be fully open before passing through it to prevent any risk of getting caught. It is unclear why the door mechanism stayed activated and continued to close on the crewmember. 

Before completing an investigation, Greek authorities have decided to employ criminal statutes. The captain and the chief engineer have been arrested and face charges of "manslaughter by negligence" for the young crewmember's death. 

The accident was the second aboard Blue Star Chios this month. On September 18, a minor aboard the ferry sustained an electric shock after coming into contact with the cable for a spotlight on deck. The child was in stable condition and was transported to a hospital in Karpathos for observation.