Investigation Launched After Fatal Dredging Accident

The body of Floris Heeren, a 23-year-old Belgian crew member of the “Juan Sebastian de Elcano”, who died after falling off his ship Monday, November 3rd, has been recovered and brought to a funeral parlor, reported the abs-cbnnews.

According to the preliminary report, Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger “Sebastian de Elcano” was docked one nautical mile from the breakwater of Manila Bay where Floris JK Heeren and two co-workers were performing cleaning operations of the lower deck.

The three workers accidentally fell off and were sucked in by the ship’s vacuum. Two of the men were able to swim to safety, unfortunately Heeren drowned. His body was recovered after resurfacing one day later on November 4th.

Detailed investigation into the exact cause of the accident has been launched by the Jan De Nul Group, the company operating the dredger.

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Dredging Today Staff