The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) has released the final investigation report on the seafarer fatality involving the fishing vessel Yong Sheng No. 2 in waters off Hong Kong.

On November 5, 2025, at approximately 0030 hours, the Taiwan-flagged fishing vessel Yong Sheng No.2 (hereinafter referred to as “the vessel”), Registration No. CT7-0348, IMO No.8985359, with a gross tonnage of 732 and carrying 16 persons on board (including one Taiwanese master, one Taiwanese chief engineer, and 14 foreign seafarers), was drifting approximately 57 nautical miles southeast of the Hong Kong anchorage. While the vessel was drifting, the chief engineer and a crew member were conducting maintenance work on an electrical distribution panel in the stairway leading from the aft deck to the engine room. The chief engineer fell from the upper part of the stairway into the engine room and lost consciousness. The master and several crew members immediately administered first aid. Subsequently, a helicopter dispatched by the Hong Kong Government rescue authorities transported the injured person ashore, where he was later pronounced deceased despite emergency medical treatment. The occurrence did not result in any damage to the vessel or cause environmental pollution.

Following Taiwan's Transportation Occurrence Investigation Act and the Casualty Investigation Code of the International Maritime Organization, the TTSB is an independent transportation occurrence investigation agency responsible for conducting this investigation. The investigation team also included members from the Maritime and Port Bureau, the Fisheries Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, and Hejiu Fishery Co., Ltd.

Based on a comprehensive analysis of the factual information, the investigation identified 2 findings and issued 3 safety recommendations. The final report was reviewed and approved at the 85th TTSB Board Meeting held on April 10, 2026.

Ⅰ. Investigation Findings

The findings related to probable causes:

1. The chief engineer of the vessel was carrying out maintenance work on an electrical distribution panel in a stairwell with a fall hazard without conducting a risk assessment for the maintenance work and without implementing fall-prevention protective measures. During the operation, he adopted an unstable working posture, with one foot placed on a stair tread and the other supported on a wall recess. In the course of the work, his right foot slipped from the wall recess and lost support, causing him to fall to the bottom of the stairwell. During the fall, his head was suspected to have struck the stairs, resulting in head injuries, bleeding, and loss of consciousness. Although emergency treatment was administered at the scene and he was transported to a hospital for medical treatment, he subsequently died from his injuries.

The other findings:

2. After being informed that the chief engineer of the vessel had fallen and lost consciousness, the vessel owner immediately reported the occurrence to the Fisheries Agency. However, after learning later that morning that the chief engineer had died, the vessel owner failed to update the information provided to the Fisheries Agency, and therefore did not fully fulfill the reporting obligation for the fishing vessel occurrence.

Ⅱ. Transportation Safety Recommendations

To Hejiu Fishery Co., Ltd.

1. Strengthen maintenance work procedures for the fleet and enhance safety awareness to ensure that necessary fall-prevention protective measures are provided when crew members carry out equipment maintenance work, thereby safeguarding crew safety.

To Fisheries Agency, Ministry of Agriculture

1. Strengthen the reporting mechanism for marine casualties involving Taiwan-flagged fishing vessels, such as establishing procedures for initial occurrence reports, follow-up reports, and reporting procedures, and enhance outreach to vessel owners regarding reporting requirements for general occurrences, distress occurrences, and emergency occurrences.
2. Strengthen professional in-service training for fishing vessel crew members, such as providing additional safety training for working at heights, in order to enhance operational safety.

The complete final report (available only in Chinese) can be downloaded at https://www.ttsb.gov.tw.

Ya-Ting Chang, Director

Secretary Office

Tel: +886-2-7727-6210

E-mail: yating@ttsb.gov.tw

Michael Guan, Investigator-In-Charge

Marine Occurrence Investigation Division

Tel: +886-2-7727-6202

E-mail: michael@ttsb.gov.tw