Bahamas Maritime Authority Investigates Fatal Fall of Seafarer on Bulk Carrier
The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) has released its findings into the death of an ordinary seaman on a Bahamas-flagged bulk carrier. The accident happened on 1 April 2026 in the Caribbean Sea, during a two-day ballast voyage from the Dominican Republic to Colombia, with the ship at about 15°43’N, 71°41’W, south of the island of Hispaniola.
At around 13:50, the seaman was washing the ship’s conveyor boom. He left the boom catwalk, the protected area covered by the working-at-height permit, and walked onto the starboard hatch cover of No. 4 hold. He fell through the gap between the open hatch covers into the hold and died.
The investigation found that walking on open hatch covers had become normal practice on board, even though the plan said the covers were to be washed in the closed position. At least two crew members saw him on the covers but did not stop him. Fall-protection equipment was available but not used, and the supervisor’s own harness was not clipped on. Fatigue could not be ruled out, as short voyages left the crew little time to rest.
After the accident, the ship manager held a safety stand-down, prepared a new risk assessment for boom washing and ran a fleet-wide campaign on falls. The BMA has launched a concentrated inspection campaign on falls from height across the Bahamas fleet.
The case shows how an unsafe shortcut that becomes routine can turn deadly. Every crew member has the authority to stop unsafe work, and a harness protects a seafarer only when it is properly clipped on.
