was to have been airlifted and taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The 39-year-old second engineer died after sustaining serious head injuries in an explosion aboard the Bahamian-flagged tanker MV Chopin which was en route to Corpus Christi, Texas.

The US Coast Guard dispatched a C-130 aircraft to the Island yesterday and a Coast Guard helicopter was scheduled to rendezvous with the tanker when it was 250 miles to the north east of the Island early this morning.

However the mission, which would have seen the man taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment, was aborted when the man died. As of last night, the MV Chopin had not determined whether it would continue on to Texas or stop off at the Island.