Two Seamen Dead, One Seriously Injured in Deadly Incident at Sea

Two seamen are dead and one is recovering from severe wounds in a Delaware trauma center after a mysterious deadly maritime incident aboard a Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier last week. The body of the man who reportedly stabbed the seamen was found last week, shortly after the U.S. Guard was dispatched for assistance.

According to media reports, the U.S. Coast Guard and federal investigators are now investigating the violent maritime incident that took place last Thursday aboard the Genco Challenger. The deadly altercation occurred while the ship sailed in international waters off the Delaware coast’s Bethany Beach.

“Investigators from the Coast Guard, the U.S. State Department, Customs and Border Protection, and Hong Kong law enforcement officers are trying to figure out the details of the maritime incident,” said Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen.

Per the initial reports, one seaman apparently stabbed two of his shipmates as the Genco Challenger sailed in the Atlantic Ocean off of Delaware’s Bethany Beach. After severely injuring the two victims, the assailant jumped overboard.

The Genco Challenger dropped anchor 24 miles off of Bethany Beach and called the Coast Guard for assistance. Several Coast Guard boats and helicopters based in Delaware and New Jersey were dispatched early on Friday morning to evacuate the two injured victims and search for the missing seaman, according to Ameen.

One of the two victims was pronounced dead on arrival at an undisclosed Delaware hospital, while the other was taken to trauma care.

The Coast Guard continued its search and recovery operations throughout much of Friday while the Genco Challenger remained at anchor. Operations were temporarily suspended for part of the afternoon, but resumed after the ship called the Coast Guard to report a possible floating object nearby.

The missing man’s body was found on Friday around 5 p.m., less than one mile away from the ship. Ameen told local media he was unaware of any stabbing-related wounds on the body.

“It could have been so many different things that led to him remaining close to the vessel. He could have been stuck under the boat before resurfacing. I can’t possibly speculate,” said Ameen.

Per the Coast Guard,  all three seamen are foreign nationals and their names have not been released pending notification of next of kin.

The Genco Challenger is a bulk carrier owned by Genco Shipping & Trading Limited, which has its headquarters in New York. It was on its way to Trenton, New Jersey, from Brazil when the violent maritime incident occurred.

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Sources:

  1. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/16/tanker-jumper-body-found/14182417/
  2. http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/crime/2014/08/18/mystery-surrounds-deaths-delaware-coast/14220365/
  3. http://gcaptain.com/stabbing-incident-aboard-genco-challenger-off-delaware/