GMM Safety | 2024-07-19 | Case Incidents |

A 37-year-old cook was found dead in his cabin on the Antigua-flagged cargo ship BBC Singapore after it arrived in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on July 15, 2024 morning.

The freighter, managed by a German company, had recently finished its stop in Paramaribo, Suriname, and was scheduled to depart early on July 13th.

Local authorities said the cook, Lakunin Oleksandr (or Oleksandr Lakunin), was last seen intoxicated during the ship’s departure from Paramaribo.According to AIS data, the ship arrived at Trinidad and Tobago’s main port at approximately 3:30 a.m. on the 15th.

The discovery was made around 4:30 p.m. when the ship’s captain contacted the agent and reported that Lakunin had been found unresponsive in his room.

Two Trinidadian police officers boarded the vessel and found Lakunin naked on his bed, with apparent signs of abuse on his face and right arm.His cabin was in chaos, and it appeared to have been ransacked.Authorities have requested a post-mortem to identify the exact cause of death and initiated an inquiry.

As of July 16th, AIS data from Pole Star revealed that BBC Singapore was still docked in Port-of-Spain.

While the victim’s nationality was not revealed, the name Oleksandr suggests Ukrainian origin, and the surname Lakunin is unusual but found in Russia and Ukraine.

BBC Singapore, an 11,000 dwt tween-decker built in 2008, has a history of 26 safety and recordkeeping issues discovered between 2022 and 2023.However, its most recent port state control inspection in New Orleans in August 2023 identified no issues of concern.

Attempts have been made to reach the ship’s operator for a statement.

The inquiry is ongoing as authorities seek to determine the circumstances leading to Lakunin Oleksandr’s untimely death aboard the ship.

Reference: atelier-des-vignerons