Cargo ship captain poisoned by carbon monoxide while onboard

The captain of a cargo ship that had departed from the mainland was poisoned by carbon monoxide. The poisoning occurred when the ship was close to Macau’s borders, the Health Bureau (SSM) reported in a statement released yesterday.

The captain is a 56-year-old mainland resident. The accident took place on February 13 at noon, when the ship was approaching the area close to the Hong Kong- Zhuhai- Macau Bridge.

While taking a shower onboard the ship, the captain started to feel dizzy and tired before becoming unconscious.

The captain was found unconscious by his colleagues. He was rescued by the Macao Customs Services and was sent to the hospital, where a diagnosis of carbon monoxide poisoning was confirmed. Presently, his health state is stable.

SSM understands that  the ship had installed a gas water heater along with an exhaust pipe. However, the patient acknowledged that no regular checking, changing or maintenance were ever arranged for the heater.

Currently the investigating authorities believe that the poisoning resulted from a poorly ventilated environment.

In a previous report, SSM noted that 10 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning had been recorded during this winter. This latest case marks the eleventh occurrence of carbon monoxide poisoning in Macau.

All other 10 cases occurred due to an incorrect installation of gas water heaters. One of them resulted in the death of the victim.