A Japanese superintendent who was put onto a Newcastle coal ship after two suspicious deaths, has become the third person to die on the ship in the last six weeks. Kosaku Monji, 37, was on the Sage Sagittarius on October 6 when it was unloading a cargo of Newcastle coal in the Japanese port of Kudamatsu.
International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) spokesman Dean Summers said Mr Monji had apparently been crushed to death in a conveyor belt. According to Mr. Summers “His death, like that of the two seamen before him on the Sage Sagittarius, is highly suspicious.”
The death incident was discovered by accident today when a brief reference to it in the ship’s log was read. A dedicated federal taskforce was needed to investigate the three deaths, which were a blight on Newcastle’s reputation, given the regular visits the Sage Sagittarius made to the port.
An Australian Customs Service spokesman said an inspection of the ship this week was routine and unrelated to the deaths on board.
NSW Police said investigations regarding the incidents will continue.
Regarding the two previous incidents onboard Sage Sagittarius please refer to previous OOW posts below:
Source: MUA
Officer of the Watch 
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