A Liberian flag-state accident investigation into the disappearance of a ship electrician while at sea on a Greek-controlled tanker has concluded he may have committed suicide.
As such, the incident on the 108,000-dwt Alexia (built 2009) could turn out to be another example of a growing suicide problem among ships' crew, which has recently raised industry concerns.
The 55-year-old electrical engineer was declared missing in September as the Alexia sailed from Malta to Russia, according to a recently released Liberian report.
According to Equasis, the vessel is controlled by Greece's Marine Trust. "It is a deeply sad incident and we deeply regret his loss," the company said.
The electrician had been in his cabin for two days after complaining of back pain when a trainee who had been delivering his meals reported him missing. His slippers were found near the deck railings.
An onboard search was unable to locate him but a note written in Gujarati was found in his cabin. He was the only crew member from that region of India. A man overboard incident was suspected and the vessel retraced its path.
The Liberian report found “no evidence of foul play”.
Investigators added: “The electrician was neither isolated nor had any quarrel with any other members of crew.”
He was described as “friendly” with a “good relationship with other crew members”.
The note was interpreted to imply the “quest of shedding the material body and merging with God in spirit”.
It read: “I shed the earthly physical body composed of five elements of nature. Neither do I dwell in mind thoughts, intellect vanity/ego. Hence I merge wholly with one God who is unique, revered and loved by all.”
The Liberia report said: “It is in the opinion of this investigation that there may be a circumstantial possibility that the electrician may have committed suicide.”
Last week, TradeWinds reported on a Bahamas flag-state authority investigation into the suspected suicide of a 24-year-old seafarer on Royal Caribbean's 78,800-gt cruiseship Vision of the Seas (built 1998) and the industry concern surrounding such incidents.
