Executive Summary
- Captain Nguyen Duc Nghi sentenced to 14 months for obstructing justice.
- Incident involved the death of a seafarer from gas exposure on the GT Win.
- Court findings indicate the Captain disposed of evidence and instructed the crew to lie.
- Chief Officer faces pending charges regarding safety violations and mask alterations.
A Singapore court has sentenced the captain of a Vietnam-registered gas tanker to 14 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to obstructing justice following a fatal incident onboard. Captain Nguyen Duc Nghi, 50, admitted to concealing material facts and instructing his crew to provide false statements regarding the death of a seafarer in 2024.
The sentencing concludes a segment of the investigation into events aboard the chemical tanker GT Win, which had anchored off Singapore on May 11, 2024. According to court documents, the vessel’s Chief Officer, Dao Tien Manh, ordered three crew members to clean emptied naphtha tanks without conducting mandatory oxygen level checks. Prosecutors stated that the Chief Officer also directed the ship’s pump master to modify a breathing apparatus mask in a manner deemed "impractical" due to space constraints.
During the cleaning operation, seafarer Hoang Van Chau lost consciousness within one of the tanks. Despite crew efforts to administer CPR and requests for emergency medical assistance, Chau was pronounced dead at a local hospital due to exposure to volatile hydrocarbons. Following the fatality, Captain Nghi allegedly disposed of the altered breathing mask by throwing it overboard and instructed the crew to fabricate a narrative for investigators, claiming the fabrication was necessary to ensure the victim’s family received insurance payouts.
Singapore Police Force officials reported that the cover-up unraveled when crew members disclosed the actual circumstances of the death during subsequent interviews. Upon confrontation, Captain Nghi admitted to the deception. The vessel’s pump master has already served a sentence of three months and two weeks for performing rash acts endangering lives.
Judicial and Regulatory Oversight
This ruling underscores the rigorous enforcement of maritime safety protocols and the severe legal consequences for obstructing investigations within Singapore’s jurisdiction, a major global shipping hub. The case highlights the critical responsibilities of senior officers in ensuring crew safety and truthful reporting during maritime casualties. It is important to note that the charges against Chief Officer Dao Tien Manh remain pending, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
