Harbour pilot's drowning a work-related death, says coroner

After performing his duties on a tugboat, PSA Marine harbour pilot Mohamed Nabil Mohamed Ghazali prepared to disembark from the vessel to return to his launch boat.

- Andrew Wong

But on Feb 11, 2023, a "miscalculation" cost him his life in an incident that took place near Kusu Island, which is one of the Southern Islands. On June 13, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda ruled it a workrelated death.

Harbour pilots help manoeuvre ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours.

Mr Nabil, who was 29, had successfully completed his job more than 2,000 times before.

Mr Nakhoda said Mr Nabil had chosen to jump off from the bow of the tugboat onto the launch boat, instead of stepping off the rubber tyre fender.

At the State Courts on June 13, Mr Nabil's family, including his wife, heard that as he jumped, the two vessels collided and rebounded apart, which opened up a gap of between 1.5m and 2m.