Namibia Fishing Video Shows Dad Hurled Overboard

A fishing company threw a worker into the ocean to transfer him between boats after he learned his son had died. The crew member wore an orange life jacket and floated between two vessels during the transfer. Merlus Fishing Group confirmed the incident happened near Walvis Bay waters. Stanley Katzao from the company said the fisherman asked to return home immediately. The transfer followed standard procedures between fishing boats.

Workers at sea regularly face dangerous transfers when they become sick or need emergency help. Companies refuse to turn boats around because fuel costs and lost fishing time hurt profits. Many vessels lack proper medical staff or tugboats for safe transfers. Anonymous fishermen told reporters that deaths could be prevented with better safety equipment. Maritime unions plan investigations into workplace safety violations.

Mathew Kapeko leads the Namibia Fishermen United Association and wants these practices stopped. He remembers similar transfers from the 1990s when boats lacked safety equipment. Captains decide transfer methods based on cost rather than worker safety. The union secretary calls the practice inhumane treatment of employees. Fishing workers remain among the least protected laborers in Namibia.