A Filipino crewman was airlifted from the infamous Panama-flagged coal carrier Sage Sagittarius, also known as the “death ship”, Australia’s Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service said.
As informed, a helicopter medevaced the crewman from the ship this morning off Newcastle.
The crewman believed to be in his 30s was suffering abdominal pain and was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition, the Newcastle Herald reports.
The ship has been in the center of media attention since the launching of an inquest into the deaths that took place on board the ship in 2012.
The New South Wales Coroner Court has launched an investigation into two of three deaths that occurred three years ago in Australian waters.
The vessel’s chief cook, Cesar Llanto, went missing in April 2012 while the ship was en route in the Coral Sea.
The incident was followed by the death of chief engineer Hector Collado, who is believed to had fell from an 11-metre deck to a deck below while en route to New Castle, whereas the third incident happened in October while the ship was unloading in Japan when a worker of the ship’s managing company, Hachiuma Steamship, died after being crushed in a conveyer belt.
During an inquest it was said that the two crew members were likely to had met with foul play , as the ship’s captain was accused of physically assaulting the crew. The captain also admitted to taking a commission for selling guns to crew members while on board the ship.
The inquest continues.
World Maritime News Staff