South Korean newspaper The Chosun Daily reports that one person suffered fatal injuries following an accident at the Geoje facilities of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean on Wednesday, September 3.
The deceased victim had been standing on a platform and overseeing construction of a floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) when the mishap occurred.
The platform was being used for load tests of a winch installed on the FPSO. During testing on Wednesday, the winch buckled under intense weight, causing the platform to collapse and fall into the water along with the three people who were standing on it.
Local authorities said one adult male was found unconscious in the water and was rushed to hospital. Tragically, however, this individual later succumbed to his injuries.
The two other people who also went down with the platform were eventually rescued.
The deceased victim has been identified as a Brazilian national and an employee of Brazilian state-owned energy company Petrobras, which will assume ownership of the FPSO upon completion.
The Korea Coast Guard, the South Korean Ministry of Employment and Labour (MOEL), and Petrobras have begun conducting separate investigations to determine whether any safety protocols had been violated.
Hanwha Ocean had already come under scrutiny from the MOEL and other local authorities after a number of accidents at its facilities resulted in seven deaths between January and September 2024.
Prior to Tuesday's mishap, the most recent fatal accident involving the company occurred on September 9, 2024, when an outsourced labourer died of injuries he suffered after he fell from a height of 30 metres at a floating dock where a containership was being built.