A 27-year-old Italian worker has died in an accident at the Palumbo shipyard in Cospicua.

The police said in a statement that the man was hit in the head by machinery that was being used to loosen a mooring rope. The incident happened onboard a passenger vessel that had just berthed at the dockyard for repairs. 

The man was working on the Morrocan-flagged Banasa Ro-Ro ship. He was certified to be dead on site. The indicident took place at 9.30am.

Police and an ambulance went on site within a few minutes.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud has launched an inquiry. The case is also being investigated by the Cospicua district police.

Last February another incident saw Patrick Vella, a diver from Zejtun, die in an accident at the Palumbo Shipyards. He was called in to repair a faulty underwater mechanism that was used to empty the drydock. He died from asphyxia due to drowning.

Pictures: Gabriel Schembri and Jonathan Borg