Cook on Cargo Ship Cracks Crewmate’s Skull With Cleaver in Squabble; Sentenced to 3 Months’ Jail for the Offence


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If you were to take a class on conflict resolution, you’d learn that there are several ways to express your anger.

One is to verbally express your frustrations without resorting to personal attacks. Others would suggest taking a timeout to cool off before discussing the issue at hand.

Whatever method you use, conflict resolution very rarely—and by that I mean never—involves smashing someone’s head with a kitchen cleaver.

But that’s exactly what one cook on board a ship did earlier this year.

Cook on Cargo Ship Cracks Crewmate’s Skull With Cleaver in Squabble

The incident involved two shipmates on board a cargo vessel: China national Wang Wei, a 56-year-old cook, and his crewmate Bai Yutao, 51, who works as the ship’s oiler.

The enmity between the two men started in December last year after they had an argument. Consequently, the two didn’t speak to each other until February this year.

On 12 February, both men were preparing dinner at the galley of their ship, Guo Shun, as it plied the waters off Singapore.

Bai was washing the utensils when Wang threw an empty steel bowl into a sink beside the oiler.

Irked, Bai asked his shipmate what his problem was, and started berating and insulting Wang.

Despite this, Wang kept schtum, while another shipmate intervened and tried to calm Bai down.

But that didn’t work out too well.

Wang and Bai started arguing, and continued doing so even as they made their way to the entrance of the ship’s mess.

There, Wang was holding a kitchen cleaver with a 20cm-long blade, but Bai provoked him by poking him in the face near his left eyebrow.

At this point, I feel like I should offer two pieces of advice:

  1. Never carry a cleaver while arguing.
  2. Never poke someone unless you’re both in a good mood, especially when they’re holding a really big knife.

Wang said he felt a sharp pain which caused him to slash Bai’s left forehead with the cleaver in response.

Bai reacted by punching Wai several times before the two angry men were separated by their fellow crewmates.


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Bai started bleeding profusely after the attack and began to feel giddy as well. A crew member bandaged his wounds before he was taken to the emergency department of the National University Hospital (NUH).

3 Months’ Jail For Cook

Yesterday (11 May), Wang was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to one charge of causing grievous hurt.

His sentence was backdated to 13 February this year, the date of his remand.

According to a medical report, Bai had sustained a left parietal skull fracture due to the attack and had to undergo surgery the day after he was admitted.

Wang, on the other hand, sustained several bruises on his face.


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No legal action has been taken against Bai, and he has since left Singapore.

Feature Image: Natalia Lisovskaya / Shutterstock.com