Another officer died after falling while checking the draft of a Turkish-controlled bulker in Russia, marking the second such accident in a week.
According to Ince Shipping Group, a second officer lost his life after plunging into the sea near the Kerch Strait from the “Ince Ege” on 4 February.
Rescue workers reached the man after 45 minutes, but it was too late.
The ship was docked at Taman when the officer attempted to read the draft, along with a master mariner from the port authority.
When the officer fell, colleagues threw a life buoy to him, but with two-metre waves in the port, it was not possible to lower the rescue boat.
A seafarer even entered the water to retrieve his colleague, while coastal tugs eventually brought the man to shore, where first aid and a heart massage were performed.
A few days earlier, in 29 January, a first officer also died after falling 10 metres from a rope ladder on the side of the Mathilde Oldendorff in China.
Turkish media said Covid-19 restrictions contributed to the accident, as the officer wanted to check how far the hull had lowered in the water, but was refused a permit to disembark at the port due to China’s “zero Covid” policy.
Unable to view the ship from land, the officer used the ladder, but lost his balance, hitting the concrete wharf.