Two crewmen die in ship rescue drama

The bulk carrier TPC Wellington berthed at Marsden Pt in Northland last night. Photo / Greg Bowker

Two crewmen died of suffocation and another was critically hurt in a log ship's hold at Marsden Pt wharf near Whangarei yesterday.

Police said one of the men entered a hatch on the bulk carrier TPC Wellington to check for a leak - a move that started a fatal domino-effect of sailors trying to help their distressed colleagues.

The first sailor got into difficulty and a second crew member entered the same hatch to rescue him. He also got into trouble and a third crewman followed.

It was not until two more crewmen entered the hatch using breathing apparatus that they were able to help their shipmates.

"There they discovered two crewmen deceased and the third crewman in a critical condition," a police spokesman said.

The victims had not been named last night but one was Korean and the other Burmese.

The injured man, also Korean, was airlifted to Whangarei Hospital in a critical condition, but was later declared stable.

At the scene last night, a hearse carried away the victims' bodies.

"The crew are all distressed and upset," said Sergeant Ken Andrews. "It appears that there was some kind of asphyxiation - the bodies didn't look like they had been crushed."

Northern Fire Communications Centre spokesman Scott Osmond said firefighters from Whangarei and Ruakaka brought the men's bodies back to the ship's deck.

"They thought there was a lack of oxygen. Our guys went down with breathing apparatus."

The Panamanian-registered ship had come from Tauranga.

Northport chief executive Jon Moore said he couldn't understand why the crewmen had gone into the hold.

"Any hold that's got organic cargo like this can become oxygen-deficient and you would never normally go in. All ship's [crew] are trained in that. This is cut timber - it's an organic material and it consumes oxygen."

A Maritime New Zealand spokesman said an inspector from Wellington and a local inspector would continue investigations today.

Police, Department of Labour and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission are also investigating.

The TPC Wellington was scheduled to depart port tomorrow. It is one of five vessels operated by the Trans Pacific Carriers company, of Seoul, which was founded in 2001.

More than half of TPC's business is the shipment of logs from New Zealand. It is also involved in carrying bulk cargoes, such as cement and grain, and its other ships include TPC Auckland and TPC Napier.