Cruise Ship Law

A crewman who died after running out of oxygen in a ship's ballast tank did not have the usual breathing gear, the BBC has learned.

The Filipino collapsed and died on the Saga-owned cruise ship in Southampton on Wednesday. A second man was rescued.

The pair inspected the tank without a safety officer or written permission, which is required by Saga due to the low air levels, a source told the BBC.

Police are investigating the suspicion of gross negligence.

Detectives are examining whether the men were told to enter the ballast tanks or told to inspect them from a safe distance above.

Kent-based Saga confirmed that various guidelines should be followed during the procedure.

Out-of-bounds area

These include ventilating the tanks well in advance and that anyone wanting to go inside must have written permission and be accompanied by a safety officer, as it is an out-of-bounds area.

Saga said it would not comment on whether these procedures were followed.

Spokesman Paul Green added: "A full independent investigation is currently underway and we are therefore unable to comment any further at this time."

The pair were trapped in the ballast tank, which is a compartment at the bottom of a ship holding water to control a ship's buoyancy and stability.

Water is discharged when the ship is heavily laden and then taken on again when travelling with light cargo.

The crewman, a second bosun in charge of crew and equipment, died after running out of oxygen, police have said.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a second bosun, a ship's officer, would be aware of necessary safety procedures before entering a ballast tank.

Filipino priest Jack Padua, who was contacted at the Southampton Seafarers' Centre, spoke to the rescued man after he was released from hospital.

He said: "He was shocked and devastated. The man who died was a colleague of his."

Mr Padua added: "I went onboard to console the crew. The group have been together for 10 years working on the ship. It is like a family."

A Hampshire police spokesman added: "We have been told it is not fumes, it's lack of oxygen, fresh air in the place they were working."

Confused state

Fire crews spent more than an hour battling to save the man, who was 43 years old. His body has been recovered.

The other man, a 38-year-old, was taken to hospital in a "confused" state but later released, police said.

The vessel finally left on a 14-night cruise to the Baltic, including Amsterdam, Kiel, Riga, and St Petersburg, on Thursday evening.

The cruise ship, which holds 600 passengers, had been due to set off for a cruise at 1600 BST on Wednesday.

Passengers stayed onboard overnight and had been informed of events, Saga said.

An investigation is also being carried out by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which has a team of five at the scene.