Republic of Liberia has issued an advisory to highlight the need to establish detailed safety requirements and recommendations for entering enclosed spaces onboard vessels where there may be an oxygen deficient, oxygen-enriched, flammable and/or toxic atmosphere and ensure proper training of all crew on this subject.
The Administration is in the process of finalizing its investigation into a recent Deck Trainee fatal incident on board a vessel related to entry into a cargo hold bilges:
- The vessel completed discharge of high-sulfur coal cargo and the Deck Trainee was assigned to check the cargo residues in the bilges before the cargo hold cleaning operation.
- The victim Deck Trainee was later found lying face down in about 10 cm of water without a pulse.
- The autopsy revealed that the cause of death of the victim Deck Trainees was Toxic Gas Inhalation, which most likely was hydrogen sulfide.
The investigation has noted a lack of awareness of the hazards associated with enclosed space entry, lack of supervision, and not considering the cargo hold, and/or cargo hold bilges as hazardous enclosed space after the hazardous cargo was discharged, with no necessary precautions taken prior to entry.
Therefore, the Administration recommends that Owners, Operators, Masters, and Crew carefully review and amend as necessary their Entry into Enclosed Spaces procedures and conduct appropriate training to ensure all crew understand the hazards onboard and strictly comply with the procedures.