A supervisor and a worker died last Wednesday May 26th after entering a dredging vessel’s ballast tank and then collapsing in the confined space, CNA reports. The incident took place in Singapore’s eastern waters and was reported by the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council. It said that the Bangladeshi supervisor entered the dredger’s ballast tank for an inspection of the piping, without putting on appropriate personal protective equipment.
Shortly after entering, he collapsed and passed out. Another worker entered the tank to try to save the supervisor, but also passed out. A third worker attempted a rescue as well, and he too collapsed inside the tank, the alert said. They likely collapsed due to oxygen deficiency in the tank, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). When they did not emerge after some time, the rest of the crew forced ventilation into the tank. The last worker to enter eventually regained consciousness and managed to climb out of the tank.
“The supervisor and the third worker were later extricated by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) but unfortunately did not survive,” said the alert. The workers are employed by KSE Marine Works and the occupier of the vessel is Antara.