Dock worker (59) dead in Antwerp harbor as a result of “weak ve… (Antwerp)
The death of a 59-year-old dock in the port of Antwerp in the middle of last year is due to a weak safety culture, both on board and in the organization of dock labour. That concludes a research report. Action was taken in between.
On 14 July 2020, 59-year-old Dirk D. from Antwerp was crushed on board the ship Cimbris when a portal crane moved a heavy hatch cover during an unloading operation. This happened at quay 753 at Antwerp Bulk Terminal, where coal is unloaded.
“The elevator operation was not well planned, not properly supervised and not carried out in a safe manner. Communication between the ship’s crew and the dockers was subpar and the safety culture was weak,” the report concludes.
“No one saw the stevedore enter between the moving crane and the hatch, perhaps to watch his team work in the hold. Despite the ship’s procedures, no second crew member was deployed to stand guard.”
Not the first dead on ship
“It was clear that the safety culture aboard the Cimbris was weak,” the researchers wrote. “This was the second accident involving a hatch cover and a gantry crane on the Cimbris. Despite the reduction in the survey report, priority was given to ‘get the job done’, rather than the safe working practices of the ship’s procedures being too practical. It was also clearly visible that the safety culture of the dock workers was very weak.”
The ship’s manager, the German Briese Dry Cargo, has meanwhile taken action to improve the instructions. There would now also be a second person watching. The CEPA Employers’ Center, which employs the dock workers, has checked the safety procedures and issued a safety instruction card describing the role of the safety watch.
The ship sailed under the Gibraltar flag and it was originated by the British Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) which was conducting an investigation of the incident in the port of Antwerp, the maritime site Flow Thursday earlier message.
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