Seafarers on a Rio Tinto bulk carrier share their grief after a crewmate disappeared off the Philippines coast. A chaplain provides support and comfort to the distressed crew.
Seafarers on board a Rio Tinto bulk carrier docked in the Pilbara have shared their sadness after their crewmate went missing. A chaplain from the Mission to Seafarers spent one night on the vessel, providing support to the captain and crew. \The RTM Zheng He was travelling from China to the West Australian port of Dampier, 1,530 kilometres north of Perth, on Boxing Day when the incident occurred.
Mr Aguaviva's crewmates described him as a very gentle, caring and open-minded person with a lot of experience on board. \ Reverend John Chong was flown to the vessel from Perth to stay overnight and provide support to the crew. Reverend Chong described the visit as a 'rescue mission' for the remaining crew, particularly the other Filipino crew members shocked by the loss of the experienced seafarer. 'They urgently needed someone like me, a chaplain, to in a way encourage them, comfort them, because they're all very sad, very troubled,' he said.'So when this man that was so close to them suddenly disappeared they have a lot of questions in their mind.' \Crew members told Reverend Chong it was a calm day when Mr Aguaviva went missing. 'The vessel was moving with speed, but that day they say it was very calm, there were no huge waves,' Reverend Chong said.'That morning, eight of them were on the deck as a team and Gel walked to the front of the vessel ... to get a tool for working, with a walkie talkie and a safety helmet, then no more.' started to search for him and reported to the captain he was lost.' \According to Reverend Chong, the Zheng He diverted course from Dampier and returned to the estimated location Mr Aguaviva went missing, searching for the missing man for four days. Reverend Chong said he understood the Philippine Coast Guard found a white helmet in the area. 'They believe that belonged to the company and belonged to this man, they assumed that it was this man's white helmet,' he said. \Reverend Chong said the crew spoke of the vessel's safety standards, and said its captain was strict on safety procedures. 'You cannot work alone on the whole ship, you must have a team so that if there are any problems someone is with you,' he said. 'So it just happened that time had to walk to the storage to get a tool and come back, maybe less than 10 minutes, then things happened.' \Rio Tinto's investigation into the incident is ongoing, but it is unclear whether the Philippine Coast Guard is still searching for Mr Aguaviva. Rio Tinto said it was cooperating with authorities and the ship's manager, and support had been offered to the crew including care packages and mental health support. The company said it was also working with the ship's manager to support the family in accessing counselling support services
MISSING SEAFARER CHAPIAIN SUPPORT RIO TINTO PHILIPPINES SAFETY INVESTIGATION
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