Lasher Fatally Injured In Vehicular Incident Aboard RoRo Barge [San Juan, Puerto Rico – 05 March 2019]

Posted by admin on Mar 5, 2019 in Bulletins

With great regret, we understand that a longshoreman (lasher) at the Trailer Bridge operation in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was run over and killed by a tractor-trailer combination aboard one of the multi-deck barge operator’s vessels about 11:00 AM this morning (San Juan Time). 

We expect supplemental details within a short space of time, but we do know that the Trailer Bridge service uses the old Army Terminal at San Juan and believe that stevedoring operations have been sub-contracted to SSA who employs an ILA workforce.

Update: 05 March; 4:15 PM (EST) – From the sailing schedule below, we believe the RoRo barge at issue is JAX-SAN JUAN BRIDGE. A photograph of the triple decked vessel is shown both above and below.

Our understanding, is that the lasher had just finished securing a trailer to the barge’s lower level deck and was crossing a lane en route to secure another trailer in a completely separate lane when he was struck by a reversing tractor-trailer combination and pushed into a deck stanchion.

News reports are unsurprisingly sparse, and the lone account available thus far (see link below) provides very little in the way of usable information.

Update: 06 March 2019; 8:00 AM (EST) – Through friends at San Juan, Blueoceana Company has been informed that the ILA worker fatally injured in yesterday’s accident is Sr. Miguel Medina Lopez (see photograph above). We grieve his passing, and express our deepest condolences to his family, friends and ILA colleagues.