News, Trending
SLASPA and Winfresh ON Death at the Ports
Allen Alexander April 14, 2019 8:41 am May 13, 2019 0
On the afternoon of Thursday April 11th, at approximately 12:15pm, a tragic incident transpired at the Castries Seaport which claimed the life of 54-year-old Wilson A. Joseph. The incident which involved the maneuvering of a container occurred on-board the MV Baltic Klipper. Joseph was promptly transported via ambulance to the Victoria Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The unfortunate Joseph was said to have been wearing full safety gear at the time of the accident. Pictures and videos of the scene of the tragedy surfaced on social media soon thereafter.
According to a statement from SLASPA, operations at the seaport were immediately suspended following the incident, in order to secure the safety of port users. The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, the Port Police Department, local agents and workers onboard the vessel are currently assisting with investigations into the matter. Wilson Joseph was at the time of the incident, contracted by KUDOS PARKING, which is contracted to provide Stevedoring and Loading services to Winfresh.
A press release from Winfresh issued on Friday afternoon sent out condolences to Joseph's family and friends. The company in the news release stated, "Winfresh has no control of or involvement in decisions regarding who is employed or the terms of employment of stevedores or any other persons engaged in the provision of services under the contract with KUDOS PARKING, which are strictly the responsibilities of the service provider."
SLASPA, who has been in operation for thirty-six years and diligently emphasizes utmost care and safety, is further grieved as this is the first incident of its kind to occur at the ports.