A Thai seafarer has died after being stabbed during an altercation aboard the tanker while it was waiting offshore for delivery to a ship recycling yard in Bangladesh.
The incident occurred on May 19 at the anchorage off Chattogram, where the vessel, K.P.P. 01, had arrived after departing from Phuket, Thailand, on its final voyage to the scrapyards.
According to local authorities and the vessel’s shipping agent, a fight broke out between two crew members aboard the Thai-flagged tanker. During the altercation, 30-year-old oiler reportedly suffered multiple stab wounds.
Fellow crew members transported the injured seafarer ashore, where representatives of shipping agency were waiting with medical personnel and an ambulance. He was taken to hospital in Chattogram but later died from his injuries.
Bangladesh police later boarded the vessel together with local agency representatives and detained another Thai crew member, an able seaman. Authorities said he gave a confessional statement and has been placed in judicial custody pending further investigation.
The tanker, built in 1991, had only a skeleton delivery crew onboard during its final voyage to Bangladesh for scrapping.
The Royal Thai Embassy has been informed about the incident and is reportedly coordinating with the family of the deceased seafarer.
Authorities in Bangladesh continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal stabbing.
