The Chief Mate of an Aruba-bound cargo ship died on Tuesday evening in what was described as a freak accident while crew members were attempting to dislodge the vessel after it ran aground in the Demerara River, in the vicinity of Supply.
Vibert Fernandes, 60, of Queenstown, Essequibo Coast, was killed after being hit by the plank. The body is currently being kept at the Lyken’s Funeral home as police investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to information from the police, a crew member was operating an excavator aboard the vessel when the machine malfunctioned, causing the boom to fall. The boom fell onto a piece of wood, the police said, which rocketed into the air and struck Fernandes to his body. The police said that he later succumbed to the injury. The ship was transporting sand.
Harbour Master Volton Skeete, when contacted by this newspaper, said that the surveyor, acting on behalf of the owner of the ship, contacted him and told him of the incident. He stated that the captain has been asked to prepare a report.
According to Skeete, he was informed that the hydraulic hose burst, causing the crane to drop and hit the plank. This resulted in the Chief Mate being struck to the legs by the plank. The man reportedly fell and hit his head and subsequently died.
At the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), police questioned seamen and prevented persons from gaining entry.
MARAD’s Director General Claudette Rogers offered no statement on the incident and referred Stabroek News to Skeete.
Sources at MARAD explained to this newspaper that after the ship ran aground, the crew men attempted to use the crane to tilt the vessel in the other direction in order to free it. It was in this attempt that the accident occurred.
The vessel is currently anchored in the vicinity of Grove, East Bank Demerara and carries the name ‘Fairland Georgetown,’ with IMO number 7500762.
