Police and the Coast Guard are investigation the death of a ship’s chief officer who was fatally injured Sunday night when he fell into an empty cargo hold aboard the freighter docked in South Philadelphia.

Officials said the 46-year-old Croatian seaman, identifief as Denis Seretinek, was unhooking a container from an overhead crane about 8:15 p.m. Sunday when fell nearly 80 feets into the empty hold of the MV Startramp, moored at pier on the 2400 block of South Columbus Boulevard.

The chief officer was taken to Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:12 p.m.

The 483-feet-long open hatch bulk cargo ship had delivered a shipment of cocoa from West Africa and was preparing to leave port empty, officials said.

via Ship’s officer dies in fall into cargo hold | Philadelphia Inquirer | 12/06/2010.