The Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department has launched an investigation into the drowning of a seaman attached to the Pritipaul Singh Investments Company after a mishap some 100 miles out at sea.
The man had been identified as Navishwar Karamdatt, called “Sharma”, of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD).
According to reports surfacing, on Wednesday, operatives of the Labour Department took a team to the MV Snook which is docked at the company’s wharf in Georgetown. The team was attempting to ascertain what led to Karamdatt’s death by investigating the level of safety conditions under which workers are operating.
The entire ordeal which was captured on surveillance footage showed two workmen trying to stabalise a section of a caged instrument in the midst of ravaging waves on the open waters.
As the waves became more intense, both men were thrown about the ship’s deck, with Karamdatt being thrown into in the sea. From the footage, it was seen that the vessel’s rails had wide spaces below and underneath.
This publication understands that the investigators interviewed several workers as the probe into the seaman’s suspected death gets underway.
It was said that the vessel’s crew was a five-member team. The MV Snook departed on December 3, 2018 and made its way back to shore last week Saturday following Wednesday’s mishap.
It is believed that Karamdatt hit his head when he was thrown off the vessel by the ferocious waves. He was seen waving and from the footage, it was not clear if a lifebuoy was on hand to be thrown into the water in an effort to save the man’s life.
Marine safety is slated to become a topic of much discourse since Karamdatt’s suspected drowning was followed by the suspected next-day demise of a boat caption from Moruca, Region One (Barima-Waini) after he fell overboard, into the Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) on Thursday last.
Reports were that Linden Williams accidentally fell into the river and despite efforts to locate him, this was to no avail. Persons in the area had disclosed that the cargo boat usually travels from Moruca to Charity to transport goods for Williams’ employer.
