By Kimberly Spykerman

A BRITISH national was found dead on Tuesday evening on the floor of an oil rig at the Keppel Fels yard.
This was the 12th shipyard fatality since June last year, in an industry swamped by accidents in the past year.

Mr Johann Es Vermulen, 39, was a senior tool-pusher - responsible for drilling operations - with Maersk Drilling, which operates drilling machinery on oil rigs.

He had been working for Maersk Drilling for less than a year.

He arrived in Singapore last week to oversee the installation and testing of new equipment on a new oil rig, which is still under construction.

It is believed that he fell while inspecting the rig and suffered multiple injuries.

The height from which he fell, however, is not known.

Mr Vermulen was already dead when paramedics from the Singapore Civil Defence Force arrived.

The police have classified the case as an unnatural death.

This is the second reported shipyard or ship-repair death this year.

Earlier this month, a 38-year-old Indonesian worker was hit by a falling pipe while working in a shipyard near the West Coast. He was killed instantly.

The Ministry of Manpower is also investigating the latest case and has issued a stop-work order on the drill floor, which is at the centre of the oil rig.

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