A CREWMAN who died after entering a low-oxygen area of the Saga Rose when she docked in Southampton did not have the |necessary hazardous-job permit, an accident report said yesterday.

Second bosun Joselito Zordilla, 43, died after attempting to test water in a ballast tank on board the cruise ship on June 11 last year.

He was instructed to do the test on the assumption that the tank was full and the water was within easy reach, a report from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said.

The report went on: “As a result, a permit to work was not deemed to be necessary. However, the tank contained only a small amount of water and the second bosun entered it despite being aware of, and practised in, the vessel’s procedures for entering enclosed spaces.

“The atmosphere inside the tank contained insufficient oxygen to sustain human life due to the corrosion of the tank’s steel structure.”

The MAIB said that the incident was the sixth fatality in an enclosed space that it had investigated since September 2007.

This led to investigators issuing a safety bulletin in July last year outlining recommendations for regulators and the shipping industry to “reduce the unnecessary loss of life”.

Saga Shipping Ltd has since reviewed and rewritten its permit to work system, employed a risk assessment trainer to undertake risk assessment training on vessels, and developed better training focussing on the risks of entering enclosed spaces.

Bosses have also discussed the lessons learned with the crew.