Crew want to quit death ship

Burmese crew of a log carrier due to leave Marsden Pt want to bail out after the deaths of three shipmates in two months, says a union inspector.

The suffocation deaths in the hold of the TCP Wellington on Monday of the first mate and a seaman are not the only recent misfortunes to have hit the surviving 18-member crew of eight Korean officers and 10 Burmese seamen ratings.

A company acting for the Korean shipping line Trans Pacific Carriers said yesterday another seaman died on the ship en route to Australia in early March after what it said was an after-hours drinking bout.

TCP New Zealand general manager Ian Lee, who said his company was no longer owned by the Korean line despite acting on its behalf, also confirmed that a fourth crew member was flown home to Myanmar yesterday after a separate accident on Monday.

The man, an engine room "oiler", sprained his shoulder while lashing logs just hours before the double fatality in the ship's hold.

Whangarei police yesterday named the two men who died in the hold as Korean-born Deogchil Oh, 56, the ship's first mate, and able rating Thi Ha Aung, 33, from Myanmar.

Mr Aung died after trying to rescue Mr Oh, who appears to have breached safety protocols by entering a confined space without breathing apparatus.

Although the ship is due to return to Korea today with a full load of logs, International Transport Workers Federation inspector Grahame McLaren says he is negotiating with the shipping line to repatriate its 10 surviving Burmese seamen.

"They are adamant they want to get off the ship," he said yesterday.

"Morale is rock bottom - they just want to get off - they just feel unsafe, unhappy and depressed."

Mr McLaren, who represents the Maritime Union of New Zealand on the international federation, said the ship's captain was flying home pending the arrival of a replacement, and so should the crew.

But Mr Lee said the shipping line could not afford to lose the crew so was bringing in a new captain to provide fresh leadership and hopefully more confidence in the ship.