Inquest into death of Aron Jeff Hermias off Dorset coast

Aron Jeff Hermias fell between 10 to 15 metres into one of the ship's cargo holds on May 3, 2022, which caused him to suffer traumatic cardiac arrest.

An inquest into the 29-year-old's death was held at Dorset Coroners Court in Bournemouth on Thursday, May 8. 

The hearing heard that Mr Hermias, from the Phillipines, was working as a deck cadet aboard the Aquagrace vessel, a bulk cargo carrier registered in Panama and on the way to New Orleans.

A statement from a fellow crew member who witnessed Mr Hermias' fall was read out to the court by coroner Brendan Allen.

Mr Hermias had been ordered to photograph the inside of the cargo hold before the colleague asked him to attach a bucket, or buckets, to the hook of a mucking winch.

This was to enable the buckets to be winched out of the hold and up to deck.

The hearing learned that Mr Hermias did as he was instructed before a colleague operated the winch to bring up the buckets.

Mr Allen told the court that the evidence from the crew member, together with the injuries that Mr Hermias sustained, made it 'more likely' that Mr Hermias then held on to the moving winch cable before losing grip and falling.

Aron Jeff Hermias was working on a cargo ship when he died just off the Dorset coast (Image: Family handout)

The coroner, who ruled the death as an accident, added that the fact that Mr Hermias was found at the bottom of the hold with serious injuries supported this theory.

The crew member said that he was 'surprised' to see Mr Hermias holding on to the winch cable as there was 'no instruction' for him to do this. 

After Mr Hermias' fall, his colleague alerted his captain for help before the coastguard helicopter was called.

Paramedic on board the aircraft, Terence Bastion, told the court that gaining access to the vessel was complex due to dust and debris on the ship.

When he eventually located Mr Hermias, he was winched down to the bottom of the cargo hold, where the 29-year-old was discovered 'bleeding from the mouth' and not breathing.

Mr Bastion said he provided immediate CPR to Mr Hermias before the pair were winched back up to the waiting helicopter.

It was established that Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester was the closest healthcare facility from where the ship was sailing.

Mr Bastion explained that the aircraft was flown to Dorchester Rugby Club with the intention of transporting Mr Hermias the short distance to hospital via land ambulance.

'Advanced life support' was given to the ship worker but tragically a decision was made to stop efforts to resuscitate him, and Mr Hermias was pronounced dead.

Aron Jeff Hermias next to the Aquagrace vessel, which he worked on (Image: Family handout)

"Despite everyone's best efforts it was decided it was best that we stop resuscitation," Mr Bastion said. "I am sorry that we could not do more."

The inquest also heard evidence from senior investigating officer Detective Sergeant Simon Austin, of Dorset Police.

He explained how his enquiries were 'severely hampered' due to not being able to speak to any witnesses or visit the scene of the incident, as the ship carried on its journey after Mr Hermias was rescued. 

The fact that the ship was sailing in international waters also raised some jurisdiction issues.

"The understanding is that the incident should be investigated by the state of the flag, so it should fall under the Panamanian authorities," DS Austin said.

"We sent all the details to the Panamanian embassy but have not had any further feedback."

Mr Hermias' cousin Rosalyn Elworthy said that the family were finding it hard to accept that the fall was an accident.

"We are not accusing anyone of doing anything but something just does not add up," she added.

"Aron was a very responsible boy, he would never do anything to endanger himself.

"It is just hard for us to get round that this was an accident but I understand it is hard to prove otherwise because of the circumstances."

Aron Jeff Hermias (Image: Family handout)

In his conclusion, Mr Allen apologised to the family members for 'not being able to get more detailed answers' regarding what happened to Mr Hermias.

"I am satisfied that the most likely explanation is that Aron did hold the winch cable as the buckets were winched to the deck and he lost his grip," he said.

A statement from Mr Hermias' parents, Gina-Lynn and Marco, said that their son 'dreamed of becoming a seaman' and gave up his education to help his family financially.

The court heard that Mr Hermias was due to be returning home to the Philippines soon after the accident happened.

"Every time people saw him he gave them a smile," the statement added. "He was the kind of person who if you needed help, he was always there."