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Helmsman drowned after falling over board

On Oct 16 the helmsman of the "Challenger", Rene Morales, who did not wear a life jacked, fell over board while working on deck of the "Challenger" and drowned. The 41 -year-old Filipino had been working on the ship since six years. The ship was being loaded at Tata Steel in IJmuiden in the 3rd Inland Basin and was preparing to sail to Ivoz-Ramet. The hatches were closed, the ropes cast off and the ship was turning around. Morales was working to seal the hatches at that time when he probably slipped and fell overboard. When skipper Marten Bakker Morales did not see him on camera, he became suspicious and stopped the ship. He and his wife Corrie heard cries for help, and Morales was seen in the water 20 meters behind the ship waving his hands. Corrie quickly took a rescue buoy but when she threw it overboard, the helmsman was gone. Only on Oct 17 the body of Morales was found and recovered by divers.