Seaman Killed Aboard Supply Ship

The environmental protection vessel, Sarah Baartman, departed Table Bay on Saturday to retrieve the body of the Cape Town seaman who was stabbed to death aboard the Antarctic supply ship SA Agulhas on Friday. Edward Hulley, 22, of Brooklyn, is believed to have been killed by a fellow crewman after a late-night drinking session aboard the vessel, which is on its way to the South Atlantic islands of Tristan da Cunha and Gough, where South Africa has a weather station. The ship is due back in Cape Town in October. Hulley's family was informed of his death on Friday morning. Smit Amandla Marine, which operates the two ships on behalf of the department of environmental Affairs, said they could not divulge many details at this stage. Spokesperson Claire Gomes said: "The investigation is pending. But it is an unfortunate incident which took place between off-duty personnel."SA AgulhasGomes declined to say whether Hulley's attacker would be brought back aboard the Sarah Baartman. The Sarah Baartman will rendezvous with the SA Agulhas next week. On Friday Hulley's father Richard, stepmother Emily and Avril Smith, with whom Hulley had been living in Brooklyn, were shattered at the news. Smith, whose son Lincoln is also on board the ship, said: "Apparently they were all drinking and Edward and his friend went to lie down in their cabin. That's when the other guy came into the room and stabbed him," said Smith. Richard said he was unable to describe the crippling heartache of losing his son, the second youngest of his eight children. "My heart is just torn in two. I want to hear the whole truth from Eddie's employer," he said. After leaving school five years ago, Hulley decided the seaman's life was his calling. He worked for shipping company Safmarine and then moved to Smit Amandla Marine. The family will start planning his funeral next week, said Smith.