Lack of information delayed medical care for dying seaman

The crew of a merchant ship that dropped off a sick seaman in Gibraltar on Sunday failed to alert port officials as to his serious medical condition, leading to delays in the provision of care while precautionary infection controls were put in place.

The man, a Filipino national, later died while his vessel – a Greek ship on its way from the Ivory Coast to Romania – sailed from British Gibraltar territorial waters and ignored instructions to return, according to the Gibraltar Government.

The Coroner has now opened an investigation into the death and the Gibraltar Port Authority is piecing together the detailed sequence of events.

It was not clear yesterday why the man had died but No 6 Convent Place stressed the infection control protocols had been precautionary and that there was “absolutely no cause for concern.”

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