Two Ukrainian seafarers have died in a tragic set of circumstances on a Croatian bulker in Bangladesh.
Port authorities said Gennadiy Yatsenko, 60, died of a suspected heart attack after finding the dead body of his colleague Kostiantyn Yermak, 31, in his cabin on the 57,000-dwt AP Astarea (built 2012).
The Daily Star reported the Atlantska Plovidba handysize had arrived at the outer anchorage of Chittagong port on 30 September.
The ship had come from Egypt with a 55,000-tonne cargo of potash fertiliser.
Nazmul Hussain Tutul, managing director of Shoreline Services, the AP Astarea's local shipping agent, confirmed the vessel's fitter Yermak was found dead in his cabin.
Second engineer Yatsenko began to have breathing difficulties on seeing his body, Tutul added, citing the master of the vessel.
No sign of injury
No Covid-19 symptoms were observed on board, port authorities said.
The captain asked Tutul for a speedboat to take Yatsenko to hospital.
He went to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, but doctors declared him dead.
Nurul Abser, the assistant port health officer, said he found no injury marks on Yermak's body.
He added Yatsenko might have suffered a cardiac arrest after seeing his younger crew member dead.
The ship was scheduled to leave for Mongla on Monday after unloading 25,000 tonnes of cargo, but remained at anchorage.
Post-mortem examinations were due to be carried out on both men.
The Business Standard quoted Omar Faruk, secretary of Chittagong Port Authority, as saying: "The local agent of the ship is preparing to send the bodies back to their home country, Ukraine, after autopsy."
The North of England P&I Club has been asked to handle the repatriation, Tutul said.
Atlantska Plovidba has been contacted for further information.
