A prominent British scientist lost his life in a tragic explosion on a cargo ship in Malaysia. Darren Holling, aged 49 and a safety chief from Durham, was investigating a fire on board the vessel MSC Kyparissia when the blast occurred. Alongside him, two others, Engineer Diaday Jason Hernia from the Philippines and safety inspector Sugumaran Kolanthai from Malaysia, also perished in the incident.
Following the explosion, two crew members and an inspector were injured and promptly taken to the nearest hospital for treatment. The tragedy unfolded during container unloading operations at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Johor Bahru district, Johor province. Investigations revealed that the fire broke out in the ship’s Block 5 under hatch while work was ongoing.
The ship had departed on November 5 but had to return the next day due to smoke detected in the Bay Area. Darren, recognized as a top chemical incident investigator, was summoned from Singapore to evaluate the fire situation. Fortunately, no hazardous substances were released during the explosion, as confirmed by the Marine Department of Malaysia.
The affected area was swiftly controlled, and safety measures were implemented, including the closure of entry and exit routes for precautionary reasons. The department extended condolences to the victims’ families and ensured that emergency assistance was being provided. Darren, with a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Durham, had a remarkable career investigating over 800 fire and chemical incidents worldwide.