Inferno at sea: Injured engineer sues tanker operators in $1.3m High Court claim

An engineer who was severely burned in a fire on board one of two oil tankers involved in an incident near Pedra Branca in 2024 is seeking over $1.3 million in damages, in a case scheduled to go before the High Court in November. 

On July 10, 2024, China national Ge Junfu, a 39-year-old mechanical engineer employed by DCS Power, boarded the Ceres I, an oil tanker anchored at the port in Singapore, as part of the shore maintenance crew. The following day, the vessel moved to an anchorage position in the South China Sea, about 55km north-east of Pedra Branca, to undergo repairs while awaiting further voyage orders, according to claim documents.

In the early hours of July 19, 2024, the Hafnia Nile, a Singapore-registered oil tanker, was navigating a high-density traffic lane in the South China Sea in fair weather, with good visibility.

Shortly before 6am, an accident involving the Hafnia Nile and the port anchor chain of the Ceres I occurred. The impact caused the heavy fuel oil and naphtha storage tanks of the Hafnia Nile to be damaged.

The fuel from the ruptured tanks ignited instantly, triggering a massive flash fire that swept across the water and engulfed the decks of the Ceres I. Awoken by the violent impact, Ge stepped out onto the B deck of the vessel and was engulfed by the flames.

The fire left him with deep burns covering 68 per cent of his body, resulting in severe facial disfigurement, functional loss of both hands and feet, depression and permanent disability, even after undergoing more than 40 operations. 

He was one of two casualties in the blaze on Ceres I. The other casualty – Indian national Sellakkannu Shanmugasundaram, died in hospital. A total of 62 crew members were on board both vessels at the time of the incident. 

Ge, through lawyers N. Srinivasan and Mark Hoh from Hoh Law Corporation, is suing four Singapore-incorporated corporate entities associated with the Hafnia Nile. In The Straits Times/Statista Singapore’s Best Law Firms 2027 survey, Hoh Law topped the field of negligence law, which covers professional, accidental and personal injuries. 

Ge’s claim includes about $1.3 million in medical expenses, $43,000 in upkeep costs, and pre-trial loss of earnings, after being certified unfit for work for 388 days. 

Supported by his employer, DCS Power, and its insurers, Income and Etiqa, Ge named the registered owner BW Aldrich, technical manager and crew employer BW Fleet Management, commercial ship manager Hafnia SG, and bareboat charterer Hafnia Pools as defendants.

The four defendants are denying the claim, arguing that the Ceres I was anchored in an inappropriate position and Ge was improperly housed on its deck.

Ge contends that the bridge team on the Hafnia Nile was negligent and breached multiple international regulations for preventing collisions at sea. He claimed the second mate serving as officer of the watch had insufficient rest, that automated radar collision safeguards on board the vessel were silenced or deactivated, and that the officer left the wheelhouse to complete administrative work in the chartroom. 

He further alleged that the officer had taken evasive action far too late to avoid the impact.

The defendants firmly rejected liability and contested the allegations. They denied that the officer of the watch was fatigued or distracted, and maintained that he had no duties in the 12 hours preceding his watch. Instead, they shifted blame to the Ceres I, arguing that it anchored improperly within an established shipping lane and maintained a defective lookout that failed to warn oncoming vessels or take evasive manoeuvres.

The defendants mounted several other defences in relation to living conditions, legal standing and procedure. They argued that Ge’s accommodation on the open deck of a vessel was unsafe, Ge was himself negligent and his employer had breached its duty to provide safe accommodation. 

They further argued that Ge lacks legal standing to personally claim medical expenses as his employer is mandated by statute to cover foreign worker medical costs, and that his claim for lost earnings is barred because insurance claims had already been filed. 

Ge’s claims made reference to findings released by the Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, which the defendants rejected, stating that the safety investigations into the incident by the bureau, which is under the Ministry of Transport, are strictly inadmissible in civil court under statutory law.

A High Court pre-trial conference is due to be held on Nov 18.

Separately, two crew members of the Hafnia Nile were charged in July 2025 under the Merchant Shipping Act with failing to properly discharge their duties, causing serious damage to both the Hafnia Nile and the Ceres 1, and causing the death of Shanmugasundaram, who was on board Ceres 1. Sri Lankan Wickramage Viraj Perera was the officer in charge of the navigational watch when the incident occurred, while Indian national Soosai Anthony Vainer was the duty lookout of the watch. The cases are ongoing, and the next hearing is due in February 2027.