KEY POINTS:
A Russian seaman was killed in a grisly accident last night after being caught in machinery on board a ship berthed at Tauranga Harbour.
The 56-year-old man was dismembered after it was believed he had become trapped in equipment on board the Tasman Resolution ship.
Emergency services were told of the accident about 11.30pm last night but it is not known how long the man had been trapped before he was found.
St John Ambulance were called to the scene but the man was already dead.
"From what I understand, he got caught in some machinery of a crane. There was just his body lying down obviously where he fell. There was nothing we could do," a spokesman said.
He said the man was "badly dismembered" after receiving "major injuries" from a gantry crane used for loading and unloading cargo.
He was told the man was a bosun on the ship, responsible for preparing the vessel for stevedores to unload.
Sergeant John Hicks, of Tauranga police, said Victim Support were helping crew members who found the man.
"He was caught in cogs of a crane on board the ship ... it must have been grisly," he said.
Port of Tauranga corporate services manager Terry James said staff were shocked by the accident.
"They're all upset and concerned, obviously. I can't say much more than that.
"We're certainly shocked. It's currently being investigated by Maritime New Zealand so the details of the accident are pretty sketchy. The consequences are obvious but what happened is still very much unclear."
Inquiries into the exact cause and circumstances of the accident would continue today.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
