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Foreign sailors hospitalised after oil tanker incident at Mombasa Port
Port workers, security officers and crew members supervise the offloading of cargo at the port of Mombasa on July 3, 2014.
Three seafarers are nursing serious injuries at a Mombasa hospital after being burned in the engine room by hot vapour.
The three crew members of Myanmar, Indian, and Indonesian nationalities were aboard the tanker MT Melati 3, sailing under the flag of Tuvalu and carrying palm oil. They sustained injuries to various parts of their bodies on Thursday after hot steam leaked from the engine shortly after the vessel docked at the Port of Mombasa.
According to Mombasa Mission to Seamen Chaplain Moses Muli, the three are currently undergoing treatment in the hospital.
The organisation is a Christian maritime welfare charity that provides support and care to seafarers visiting the Port of Mombasa, affiliated with the UK-based Mission to Seafarers organisation.
Mr Muli said the trio sustained serious burns to their faces, hands, and chests while working in the engine room. The incident was reported to the Kenya Coast Guard Service in Kilindini, and a statement recorded by the ship's local clearing agent.
"We received information regarding the accident and as the work of the Mission is to assist all seafarers in distress, we took the three ship crew to the hospital but they are on stable condition. The seafarers will remain under our care as they continue to recover. Investigation has begun regarding the incident with several people, including other crew members being interrogated," said Mr Muli.
The Mombasa Mission to Seamen plays a key role in ensuring the welfare of all seafarers aboard vessels calling at the Port of Mombasa. There have been many cases of seafarer neglect by shipowners in Mombasa, including delayed salary payments.
The latest case involved Zanzibar Express Line, which was forced to pay its workers’ salaries this week before it was allowed to leave the port. According to Mr Muli, the vessel’s crew had officially raised the matter with the Mission, prompting its intervention.
"We are happy the vessel management has complied and paid all the salaries and other wages on Wednesday this week and now the vessel, which was to be detained, will be allowed to sail," he said.
A recent report by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) released on July 15, revealed yet another surge in the abandonment of seafarers worldwide. So far in 2025, at least 2,286 seafarers on 222 vessels have been left stranded, often without pay, food, or medical support in different ports.
