A CREW member died as a cargo ship docked at Stanford-le-Hope's superport. 

Gravesend RNLI lifeboat were called after the man had stopped breathing aboard the vessel which was about to berth at the DP World London Gateway port.

The charity’s lifeboat launched at 10.33am yesterday after London Coastguard received a report that a Russian crewman was unconscious and who had stopped breathing aboard the cargo ship MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company) Sariska.

On the lifeboat’s arrival the casualty care kit and lifeboat crew were transferred to the ship and taken to the casualty.

Volunteer lifeboat crew member Tony Jenkins from Gravesend RNLI said: ‘When we arrived on the scene we saw the man had collapsed on the deck at the back of the ship and his colleagues were already carrying out chest compressions on him. We then attached a defibrillator to the casualty.’ The lifeboat and ship’s crews continued with CPR for around 40 minutes.

Once the container ship had docked, the East of England Ambulance service including its HART (Hazardous Area Response Team), came aboard to assist further.

Ambulance paramedics took over and they spent another 30 minutes trying to save the man’s life.

Despite everyone’s best efforts and CPR being started immediately after he collapsed, he could not be saved.