AFRICA STAR

Allgemeine Informationen

Kurs/Position

Die neuesten Nachrichten

Explosion killed one worker

On board the 'Africa Star' a vessel cleaning company employee died, when a purportedly damaged pipe containing ammonia exploded and trapped him and a colleague at the port of Tema on July 29, 2020, at 12.30 p.m. The dead employee had a high exposure to the substance, which he inhaled. He also sustained cuts to the body. Attempts by his colleagues to rescue him were unsuccessful. The other employee who managed to escape, sustained injuries and was rushed to the Narh-Bita Hospital in Tema, where he was receiving treatment- The body of the deceased had been deposited at the International Hospital Mortuary, awaiting an autopsy. The two employees were conducting cleaning works on the vessel, while the crew of the vessel, whocj had arrived at Tema on July 26, were offloading the cargo of tuna. Following the explosion, the ammonia leaked into the environment, creating an uncomfortable working environment within the fishing harbour. Atechnical team from the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) who visited the scene of the incident tasked the owners to check whether there were any further leakages of the ammonia into other areas of the vessel. The police had no evidence to the claims by the eyewitnesses since it was only the GMA officials who had the technical expertise to determine whether the vessel owners attempted to carry out any repair works on the damaged pipes. The Deputy Director in charge of Ship Inspections and Maritime Security at the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) stated that investigations were ongoing and that the Port Authority could only comment when they were able to establish the cause of the accident.