A man is presumed dead after falling overboard from a coal ship en route to Newcastle on the NSW coast.
An International Transport Federation (ITF) coordinator said the Korean-flagged ship, K Pride, was on its way to Newcastle to pick up a load of coal when the incident occurred late on May 14.
"The captain turned the ship around to look for the 54-year-old man but there was no sign of him and (he) is presumed lost and dead," ITF's Dean Summers said.
Mr Summer believes an investigation should be carried out following the Korean national's death.
"The ITF thinks, given the huge spike in the amount of seafarers reported going missing over the side, it needs an investigation," he said.
In many instances the deaths are said to be suicide, which he believes is a way of companies not paying death benefits.
"Nobody investigates, nobody," he said.
Mr Summer highlighted a coronial inquest later this week in Sydney into the Japanese-owned cargo ship, Sage Sagittarius.
"There were three suspicious deaths in three separate incidents over a six-week period on one ship and nobody investigates," he told AAP.
Between August and October 2012, two people died and one disappeared from the Sage Sagittarius on its round journey from Japan to Newcastle.
Mr Summer said K Pride is due to dock at Newcastle in the next two days.
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
Share
