Kings Wharf Incident Container Swings, Injures Port Staff
Stevedore and foreman Joji Tuipolotu suffered a broken arm, a broken jaw and fractures to his back and hip, Incident happened while containers were loaded onto the MV Southern Pearl at Suva port
Friday 10 December 2021 | 11:17
A 37-year-old man is lucky to be alive after a loaded 40-foot container, weighing 29 tonnes, swung out of control, and crashed into him on Wednesday night.
Joji Tuipolotu, a stevedore at the Kings Wharf in the Port of Suva, is now being treated for a broken arm, a broken jaw and fractures to his back and hip at Suva’s Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH).
According to Mr Tuipolotu, he and his team were working onboard the cargo vessel, the MV Southern Pearl, when a swinging container crushed him against another.
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He said he was the foreman for the job and was concerned about the container moving so he was helping to tie the container down.
While doing so, the vessel listed, causing the container to swing.
SURVIVED... Stevedore Joji Tuipolotu is being treated at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.
Mr Tuipolotu’s older brother, Pita Lagaiula, said his brother was lucky to be alive because the container crushed him and then went back into position.
“I almost lost my brother last night after he was struck by a 29 tonne-40 footer reefer container while they were loading the container on MV Southern Pearl, berthed at the Kings Wharf,” he said.
“He is responding well despite the serious injury he sustained from the accident."
"We are hopeful for a successful surgery.”
Mr Ligaiula said there were safety issues that must be questioned, and he would deal with this through legal channels.
Mr Tuipolotu also said there was a power outage while they working on Wednesday night.
The only lights they were using were the ones on the vessel.
Energy Fiji Limited (EFL) said there was a transmission problem, which caused blackouts in the Suva area, including the wharf and Suva Bus Bay area.
The Fiji Ports Terminal Limited, in its response, confirmed that a stevedore was hit by a swinging container.
“We are thoroughly investigating the incident as per our protocol and procedure."
"At ports, safety of all our workers and any port users are paramount and we ensure that any workers engaged in operations are adequately equipped with appropriate safety gears, which in fact mitigated the impact,” said Fiji Ports.
“Also, please take note that this incident is not related to any power outages.”
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