Jermyn Chow, Straits Times 10 Sep 08;
A MASSIVE explosion rocked a barge in a Pandan Road shipyard yesterday, ripping off part of the vessel and sending a worker hurtling into the sea.
The blast, which happened at about 2.45pm, threw an Indian national off the deck of the Orion 1505, though his co-workers said he was able to swim ashore.
He was hospitalised with cuts on his back and head. He is in a stable condition, said a Ministry of Manpower spokesman.
The worker was carrying out hotworks onboard the 46m-long vessel, which was supposed to have departed for Batam yesterday, said the shipyard's marine operations executive, Mr Muhd Hilmi.
It is believed that sparks from welding might have ignited flammable vapours.
There were four other workers, including a safety supervisor, working onboard at the time of the explosion. They were not hurt, though one of the two cranes onboard the vessel was damaged and part of its stern was blown off.
The Indian national works for a subcontractor for home-grown marine services provider Gems Marine - a subsidiary of construction firm Koon Holdings, said Mr Hilmi.
A Ministry of Manpower spokesman said investigations are ongoing but in the meantime, the ministry has stopped all work in the Pandan Road premises.
Yesterday's blast came nearly two months after safety officials urged shipyards to call an unprecedented 'time-out' from work to review safety procedures.
Eleven shipyard workers have died and 286 others were hurt in the first half of this year. Last year, only three shipyard workers died on the job from January to June. Safety officials are still carrying out spot checks on the 89 shipyards here.
Since mid-June, some 120 inspections have been done.
