LINX Cargo Care Group is investigating union claims that a stevedore worker was left on board a ship in Port of Melbourne after a fire broke out on board.
According to the Maritime Union of Australia, Norwegian-flagged ro-ro vessel Hoegh Trooper (IMO: 9075711) caught fire at the port on Saturday afternoon (18 February).
The MUA said one stevedoring worker who had been “directed to work alone in a remote deck of the ship without access to radio communications equipment” was left onboard after the ship was evacuated.
The union claims a Linx supervisor did not account for the worker’s whereabouts during the emergency muster.
“This is a shocking situation this worker found herself in after being directed to perform her work alone in the bowels of the ship and without the appropriate communications equipment,” MUA assistant national secretary Adrian Evans said.
“The Linx supervisor’s failure to comply with company safety procedures could easily have caused a fatality.
“This incident was avoidable if procedures were followed and it was only luck and the sheer desperation of the worker that saved her life.”
A Linx spokesperson told DCN the company is currently investigating the incident.
“Whilst we can confirm that our people were working onboard the vessel at the time the fire broke out, the team all safely exited the vessel without suffering any physical injuries,” the spokesperson said.
“Whilst our investigation is ongoing, the information we have gathered to date, including a statement from the last worker to exit the vessel, does not support the matters set out in the summary of events published by the MUA.”
The MUA has called on WorkSafe Victoria to launch an investigation into the incident and apply formal sanctions.
“WorkSafe is making inquiries to ensure Victorian health and safety obligations are being met,” a WorkSafe spokeswoman told DCN.
The MUA said the ship is being repaired and the International Transport Workers’ Federation is monitoring the welfare of 19 crewmembers who are reportedly still on board.
The union said the ship is now without air conditioning and is concerned that the fire in the engine room will have impacted the ship’s onboard systems.
“Each room has been supplied with cooling fans, while portable toilets and a meal service have been organised to sustain the crew while a longer-term arrangement is put into action so that the significant engine room repairs can be made,” ITF Melbourne inspector Matt Purcell said.
