Explosion at Benoi Road shipyard kills two

Lynda Hong Channel NewsAsia 12 May 11;

SINGAPORE: There has been an explosion at a shipyard in 3 Benoi Road, resulting in the death of at least two people.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that the incident involved a barge undergoing maintenance work at the shipyard. A SCDF spokesman said the two were pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

The Manpower Ministry has identified the two as a 43-year-old Malaysian and a 20-year-old Bangladeshi.

They were working on the barge when the blast occurred at around 1.20pm, after the workers had just returned from their lunch break. There were also some workers at the shipyard who suffered minor injuries due to the blast, but no one was hospitalised.

The deceased Bangladeshi is Hassan Mainul. His uncle said Hassan came to Singapore just three months ago.

He said: "That time when they called, I cannot believe myself. How come? Only last Sunday, I saw him. He is a very innocent boy, innocent face and he is very handsome, very handsome boy. He finished intermediate and higher secondary, I brought him here for a job, to [have a better life]. Now he is gone. I really cannot believe it."

The Manpower Ministry has ordered a stop to all work at the incident site, which is occupied by Haosen Marine Pte Ltd. Preliminary investigations by the ministry showed that the two workers were assigned to conduct checks for leaks on one of the barge's tank compartments.

Both the SCDF and police said they received a call about the incident at about 1.30pm. SCDF dispatched two fire engines, two fire bikes, one ambulance and two other support vehicles to the scene.

The intensity of the blast also affected buildings nearby. A witness Channel NewsAsia spoke to said the explosion broke some glass panels in her office across the road.

It also caused a ceiling panel to collapse but no one was injured.

The witness, who wanted to be known as Mandy, added that the ground shook when the explosion occurred.

Another eye witness, 34-year-old Adrian Lee who was in the area for a meeting about four factories away from the explosion site, said he saw people running out after the blast caused a roof to collapse.

He said: "I was at a neighbouring unit at number 3 Benoi Road when I heard a loud explosion. Went out, I saw the roof collapse, people running out. Minutes later fire engines came, that was the sequence."

Another eyewitness, Eugene Chua, said: "At 1.20pm today, we heard a very loud explosion. So the rest of us in the company evacuated because there was a lot of ceiling coming down. And we had to leave our office. It felt like an earthquake. It was very tremendous. Our instincts took over and we had to get out of the office."

There was a twisted pile of metal within the premises and a writ of possession/eviction was pasted on the gate of 3 Benoi Road.

It states that the occupiers of the building have to vacate the premises by 9.30am on May 16.

- CNA/cc/ac

Two workers killed in shipyard blast
Explosion believed to be caused by sudden release of compressed air
Jalelah Abu Baker & Elizabeth Soh Straits Times 13 May 11;

TWO foreign workers died after an explosion rocked a shipyard in Tuas, with the blast felt even 3km away.

The explosion at about 1.20pm yesterday at the UDL Shipyard in Benoi Road split a flat-bottom barge into two, causing it to flip over.

The explosion also ripped out the metal walls and part of the roof of a workshop beside the barge, and shattered the windscreens of vehicles, and windows in adjacent buildings.

The incident is believed to have occurred when the victims, 43-year-old Malaysian Zainudin Wan Jusoh and 20-year-old Bangladeshi Hasan Mainul, were conducting checks for leaks in one of the barge's tank compartments.

Their bodies were recovered near the barge, estimated to be about 100m long and about 10m tall.

The explosion is said to have been caused by a sudden burst of compressed air during air testing, a process used to maintain the water-tightness of a barge.

The loud impact sent about 100 workers from nearby companies scrambling out of their premises.

Among them was Mr Karuppiah Thangamani, 31, a tyreman who works at a company opposite the accident site.

'Everything was shaking, it was like an earthquake,' he said.

Hundreds of others, some from as far as 3km away, converged on the scene after being jolted by a sound which they described as loud as a bomb explosion.

Safety was the main concern for the management at Goltens, a company opposite the shipyard. All its 147 employees were sent home.

The metal ceiling at one of the company's buildings was reduced to dangling strips, and windows were shattered.

'They are traumatised. When you see the mess up there, it is quite a relief that no one got hurt,' Mr Tom Boyle, the company's managing director, said of his workers.

He was at his desk when the impact of the explosion brought down a false ceiling, leaving an air-conditioning unit hanging precariously above him.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force, which received a call at 1.23pm, sent two fire engines, two fire bikes and an ambulance. Officers arrived in eight minutes, and announced the two men dead upon arrival.

A spokesman said no one was hospitalised.

The Ministry of Manpower said it has ordered a stop to all work at the site, which is occupied by Haosen Marine.

While investigations into what happened are ongoing, industry experts who spoke to The Straits Times speculated that an explosion could have taken place because welding was being done while there was still compressed air in the barge.

The welding was possibly to fix a hole that would compromise the water-tightness of the barge.

However, such welding would cause the air to expand, and therefore gush out all at once. Air that is pumped in is usually released bit by bit after the test is over.

A 37-year-old friend of the Malaysian victim said he had introduced the father of two to the job at Haosen Marine, and that the man had been working there for about seven months.

His family has been informed, he added.

The niece of Mr Zainudin's wife said the family has gathered at his home in Johor Baru.

'We were shocked. We didn't expect it to happen. His wife is inconsolable.'

The Bangladeshi victim is believed to have worked here for three months.

The management of Haosen did not want to comment.

Flammable vapours may have caused fire
Likely to have come from spray-painting work, says MOM probe
Carolyn Quek Straits Times 14 May 11;

THE presence of flammable vapours may have led to a flash fire and explosion which killed two foreign workers at a Benoi Road shipyard on Thursday.

In making known preliminary investigations yesterday, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) said flammable vapours were detected at the barge where the incident happened at 1.20pm, killing a 43-year- old Malaysian and 20-year-old Bangladeshi.

These vapours were likely to be from spray-painting work carried out on the barge three days before the blast.

The ministry added that it tore apart four of the 14 tank compartments that the 50m long barge was made of.

The compartments were empty and meant to help the barge float on water.

The explosion also ripped out the metal wall panels of a workshop 5m from the barge. About 10 workers were in the facility then and some suffered scratches.

The MOM said its Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate will next focus on establishing if the flammable vapours had fuelled the flash fire that led to the blast. It will also be investigating if hot works had been carried out before the blast.

The flat-bottomed vessel was being lengthened at the Haosen Marine shipyard in Benoi Road.

The ministry said the Malaysian worker, Mr Zainudin Wan Jusoh, who was working on top of the barge, was thrown off when the explosion occurred.

The Haosen Marine worker is believed to have been checking for leaks at one of the tank compartments and making sure it was water-tight.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi Hassan Mainul, who worked for New Millenium Construction, happened to be near the barge when the incident happened. The MOM is still trying to find out why Mr Mainul - who had been working in Singapore for only three months - was at the site.

Workplace Safety and Health Commissioner Ho Siong Hin urged employers and workers to remain vigilant and do their part to prevent workplace accidents.

'The two workers who died in the tragic accident had families, colleagues and friends who are now mourning the sudden loss of their loved ones,' he said.

'Accidents occur when safe work procedures are not followed due to complacency or when rushing jobs,' he added.

The two deaths on Thursday have dented progress by employers and workers to keep workplaces fatality-free.

There were 55 workplace fatalities last year - a six-year low - while workplace injury cases fell to 10,319, a 5 per cent drop from 2009.

Benoi blast could have been caused by lingering flammable vapours
Channel NewsAsia 13 May 11;

Singapore: Investigations into the Benoi Road shipyard blast on Thursday which killed two men, has revealed that four tanks ruptured on a barge during works to lengthen the vessel.

Flammable vapours were present in the barge tanks after the blast and the possibility of a flash fire in the damaged tanks resulting in the blast could not be ruled out, said the Ministry of Manpower.

The presence of flammable vapours is believed to have been due to paint vapours from spray painting works that had been carried out three days before the accident.

Further investigations by the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate will be carried out to confirm whether hot works were being carried out and if the flammable vapours in the tanks had fuelled a flash fire, leading to the blast.

The blast which was reported just before 1.30pm ripped apart the front of the barge, and caused wall panels of a workshop situated about five metres from the barge to fall off.

According to an MOM news release, some 10 workers were in the workshop when the blast occurred and some of them sustained light scratches.

A 43 year-old Malaysian worker who was working on top of the barge at the time of the accident, was thrown off the vessel by the blast.

The other victim was a 20-year-old Bangladeshi who was near the barge when the accident occurred.

Relatives of both men claimed their bodies on Friday afternoon.

Hassan's uncle, Mohd Mosleh Uddin, said Hassan's body would be sent home to Bangladesh by Saturday night.

According to Mr Mohd Mosleh, the money to transport Hassan's body has been paid for by the employer, New Millenium Construction.

Work on the site has been stopped indefinitely and investigations are ongoing.

Emphasising the need to remain vigilant to prevent workplace accidents, Mr Ho Siong Hin, the Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health, said: "This tragic accident is a sombre reminder for everyone to remain vigilant and be alert to risks at work."

"Accidents occur when safe work procedures are not followed due to complacency or when rushing jobs," he added.

- CNA/sf/al

Flammable gases detected at Benoi Rd shipyard
Today Online 14 May 11;

SINGAPORE - Investigations into the Benoi Road shipyard blast on Thursday which killed two men has revealed that four tanks ruptured on a barge during work to lengthen the vessel.

Flammable vapours were present in the barge tanks after the blast and the possibility of a flash fire in the damaged tanks resulting in the blast could not be ruled out, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

The presence of flammable vapours is believed to have been due to paint vapours from spray painting work that had been carried out three days before the accident.

Further investigations by the MOM's Occupational Safety and Health Inspectorate will be carried out to confirm whether hot work was being carried out and if the flammable vapours in the tanks had fuelled a flash fire, leading to the blast.

The blast, which was reported just before 1.30pm on Thursday, ripped apart the front of the barge and caused wall panels of a workshop situated about 5m from the barge to fall off.

According to an MOM update released on Friday, about 10 workers were in the workshop when the blast occurred and several sustained light scratches.

Malaysian worker Zainudin Wan Jusoh, 43, who was working on top of the barge at the time of the accident, was thrown off the vessel by the blast.

The other victim was 20-year-old Bangladeshi Hassan Mainul, who was near the barge when the accident occurred. Relatives of both men claimed their bodies on Friday afternoon.

Mr Hassan's uncle, Mr Mohd Mosleh Uddin, said Hassan's body would be sent home to Bangladesh by Saturday night, and the expenses have been paid for by his employer New Millenium Construction.

Work on the site has stopped and investigations are ongoing.

Mr Ho Siong Hin, the Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health, said the accident was "a sombre reminder" for everyone to remain vigilant and be alert to risks at work.

"Accidents occur when safe work procedures are not followed due to complacency or when rushing jobs," he added.