Jamaicans at home and abroad continue to mourn the loss of Kingston Wharves stevedore Scot Bamburry, whose body was found on Thursday.
The 38-year-old stevedore was working on a cargo ship at Berth 8 on Tuesday night when he reportedly slipped, hit his head and fell into the water.
Bamburry’s body was seen floating in the water at Berth 8, Kingston Wharves about 2:30 pm on Thursday.
The family, while relieved that his body has been located, are feeling “unimaginable grief”.
Working at Kingston Wharves was a dream for Bamburry, who is originally from Wood Hall in Clarendon.
He graduated from the Caribbean Maritime Institute, now Caribbean Maritime University, in 2008 after completing a diploma programme in international shipping and logistics.
However, it was not until his struggle to secure a job was highlighted by the Jamaica Star newspaper that he was hired as a stevedore at Newport Stevedoring Services Limited, a subsidiary of Kingston Wharves.
Chief Executive Officer of Kingston Wharves, Mark Williams, has expressed condolences to Bamburry’s family.
Reacting to claims that stevedores are not equipped with adequate safety gear, Williams told Radio Jamaica News that the vessels are railed and employees get gear, including reflective vests, harnesses and helmets “depending on where you are on the vessel”.
“All of the standard safety gears for where Scot was working, the information is that those gears were provided,” he said, noting that “the investigation continues about what else could have been in place”.
