Seychelles location map. Photo: Stockfile

Investigation into ammonia leak on Spanish tuna vessel begins in Seychelles

SEYCHELLES
Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

Seychelles' Maritime Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and its Spanish counterpart will carry out an investigation into an ammonia leak on a Spanish-flagged tuna fishing vessel, according to Seychelles News Agency.

The incident, which took place on Wednesday, June 15, caused the death of two Spanish crew members.

Through the investigation, authorities are seeking to establish the factors that contributed to this incident and what needs to be changed or done differently to avoid future incidents.

The vessel, Albacora Cuatro, is 88 metres long and 16 metres wide and belongs to the Compañía Europea de Tunidos company. At the time of the incident, the vessel was anchored close to Port Victoria and it had a crew of 31 people of six different nationalities on board as well as one Seychellois.

The vessel, Albacora Cuatro. Photo courtesy from Seychelles News Agency

In an interview with the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) on Thursday, the Principal Secretary for Civil Aviation, Port, and Marine, Alan Renaud, said that this is the first time that Seychelles is working with the Standing Commission for Maritime Accident and Incident Investigations, an agency of the Spanish government. The first meeting was scheduled for last Friday.

According to an article on the Atuna website, the "initial examination showed that an ammonia leak had caused (an) eruption." The same article stated that relevant authorities from both countries are working on repatriating the bodies of the deceased chief engineer and second officer. The two casualties of the incident were Spanish nationals from the Ribeira, located in the northwest of Spain.

Ammonia is a refrigerant used to freeze the brine solution within the fish wells onboard tuna vessels. It is a toxic gas and exposure to it can cause serious and sometimes fatal injuries, including ammonia burns on the eyes and lungs, asthma, blindness, and other pulmonary conditions. It is also flammable and can cause explosions when exposed to high heat.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

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