Crew member dies aboard vessel in Bluff

Photo / File

The death of a foreign crew member aboard a vessel in Bluff reportedly happened when onboard cranes were being moved, the Maritime Union says.

A police spokeswoman said officers were alerted at 9.30am today to an incident on a vessel at Southport, Bluff, where a person had died suddenly.

“Maritime NZ and police are working to establish what has occurred,” the spokeswoman said.

A spokeswoman for South Port said the vessel involved was the MSC Resilient III.

Maritime Union of New Zealand National Secretary Craig Harrison said he understood New Zealand shore-based stevedores had finished work on the vessel when the incident occurred.

The container ship had its own cranes, but had been worked by onshore cranes operated by local stevedores.

“Initial reports from local workers suggest an incident had occurred when onboard cranes were being moved by crew,” Harrison said.

The MSC Resilient III is a Liberian flagged container ship which left Melbourne on December 15, according to online shipping logs.

The Maritime Union had concerns about the health and safety aboard overseas flagged ships working in New Zealand ports.

“The Resilient III is a flag of convenience (FOC) vessel registered under the Liberian flag. FOC vessels are notorious for the issues around safety and seafarers’ rights.”

Maritime New Zealand spokesman Adam Walker confirmed it was investigating.