A Singapore court sentenced the master of GT Win to 14 months in jail after he admitted obstructing justice by giving investigators a false account of a fatal onboard incident in 2024. He became the second officer from the vessel to receive a custodial sentence linked to the same death, while court proceedings against the ship’s chief officer remained ongoing.

The case stemmed from events after the 15,000 dwt Vietnamese-registered chemical tanker arrived in Singapore on 11 May 2024 with a naphtha cargo. Following discharge, the vessel shifted to anchorage, where tank-cleaning work was carried out on emptied tanks.

Prosecutors said the chief officer ordered three crewmembers to clean the tanks without first checking oxygen levels and completing necessary safety checks. They also alleged he directed the pump master to modify a breathing apparatus mask by connecting its hose to an air bottle on deck.

During the work, seafarer Hoang Van Chau became unconscious inside a tank. The crew attempted CPR and sought emergency medical help from shore, but Chau was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The reported cause of death was exposure to volatile hydrocarbons.

Court filings stated the master, Nguyen Duc Nghi, concealed key facts from Singapore authorities after the fatality. He was alleged to have disposed of the altered breathing mask and told crewmembers to mislead investigators about what happened, including claims that dishonesty was necessary for the family to receive insurance money. He was arrested the day after the incident and later admitted to instructing the crew to lie.

Nghi pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing justice and received a 14-month sentence. The pump master had earlier pleaded guilty to performing rash acts that endangered lives and was sentenced to three months and two weeks in jail. The chief officer faced charges alleging he ordered entry into the tanks despite unverified air conditions and incomplete safety procedures, and that he instructed the breathing apparatus alteration.