Engine Crew missing at sea

1. Incident Summary

An engine crew member went missing on a tanker while enroute from Mumbai to Zhoushan (China). Despite search and rescue efforts by the vessel and Hong Kong MRCC, the crew member was not found.

2. Sequence of Events

The crew member refused to go on watch after 18 days, citing domestic issues. He was taken off watch schedule until the next port. He was last seen resting in his cabin and was reported missing during dinner time. Despite an onboard search and SAR operations, he was not found.

3. Lessons Learned

• Senior officers should be trained to provide first aid counseling and report to DPA when necessary.
• Ship owners/managers/operators should evolve psychometric testing methods to identify suicidal tendencies and provide guidance to masters and chief engineers.