A post-mortem has failed to reveal the cause of death of a seafarer who was found washed ashore on a Vanuatu beach on 11 April.
Initial tests showed the man from the BW Epic Kosan (BWEK) 3,678-cbm LPG carrier Inge Kosan (built 2011) had Covid-19, prompting a lockdown on the Pacific island.
But the Singapore shipowner said the latest examination had proved "inconclusive".
The vessel is now in quarantine at anchor off Brisbane, Australia.
"While it is unfortunate that the autopsy report is inconclusive on his cause of death, we hope that the eventual findings from our investigation as well as the findings from an independent investigation by the Isle of Man Ship Registry will bring some closure to the bereaved," BWEK chief executive Charles Maltby said.
Privacy needed
"We hope the media will grant them the privacy they need in their time of loss," he added.
Maltby said BWEK continues to provide support to the family.
Fresh tests have been carried out on 12 asymptomatic crew members.
Of these, 11 have positive antibodies, but have recovered and achieved the required standard for release from quarantine in accordance with national guidelines, BWEK said.
The crew member who tested negative will be transferred to an onshore quarantine facility by the local authorities.
The Inge Kosan will be permitted to enter Brisbane from 1 May.
"The health and safety of our people and the communities we operate in remain our foremost priority. BWEK will cooperate fully with all relevant authorities in the interest of public health and in the health and well-being of the crew," BWEK added.
The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has called for an independent investigation.
MUA said Australian energy giant Origin Energy is the long-term charterer of the Inge Kosan, which is contracted to deliver LPG to the company’s import terminals in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji.
The union added that the anchoring of the vessel in Australian waters gave local authorities the best opportunity to properly interview the crew and fully investigate how one of the seafarers died.
Serious questions
"There are serious questions that must be answered about how the seafarer died, and how his body came to be washed up on a beach in Vanuatu," MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin said.
"The Inge Kosan was on charter to a major Australian business, it had recently left an Australian port, and it was carrying Australian gas to our Pacific neighbours. It couldn’t be any clearer that Australia has an obligation to get to the bottom of why one of the seafarers died in the subsequent weeks," he added.
Crumlin said that even if the seafarer's death was caused by Covid-19, it needs to be established whether he was already ill when the vessel departed Australia and if he received medical treatment.
