Report on work accident on board 'Stavanger Blis' off Yeosu in South Korea on 5 November 2020
Marine report 2022/06
On 25 October 2020, the oil tanker 'Stavanger Bliss' had completed unloading a cargo of oil in Dalian, China. After leaving Dalian, the captain received notice, in the form of a ROB claim, that the vessel had too much cargo remaining on board (ROB) after the unloading. The NSIA is of the opinion that the captain was concerned about this and wanted to check the ROB status in the tank despite plans being in place to inspect this later. The captain died when he, alone, entered a cargo tank that had not been cleared for entry.
The tank contained inert gas and the atmosphere was unsafe. The cause of death was a coronary infarct. It cannot be concluded with any certainty that the coronary infarct was due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The shipping company had established tank entry procedures, which clearly set out that entering tanks with an unsafe atmosphere was not permitted. It is unclear why the captain nonetheless decided to enter the tank.
The NSIA is of the opinion that the many challenges facing the captain and crew on board during the period created an extraordinary situation that affected the decisions that were made and thus contributed to the accident arising.
Following the accident, the shipping company has implemented several measures to prevent similar accidents. The NSIA will therefore not submit any recommendations following this accident.
Published 23.06.2022
Facts
| Location | At anchor off Yeosu, South-Korea |
| Occurrence date | 05.11.2020 |
| Accident category | Misc. accidents |
| Area | International Waters |
| IMO number | 9364239 |
| Name of vessel | Stavanger Bliss |
| Accident type | Enclosed space entry, Fatal Accident, Occupational accident |
| Vessel type | Tanker |
| Register | The Norwegian International Ship Register |