Asbestos disease case

A former merchant navy chief electrical officer, who sailed across the world working on a variety of cargo ships, received a substantial payout after he developed an asbestos disease.

Cornelius Fleming, from Cardiff, has secured compensation after successfully bringing a claim against two of his former employers - Port Line Ltd and Harris Pye UK Ltd.

Mr Fleming, 78, worked on merchant navy ships for Port Line in the 1960s and for Harris Pye in the 1980s, which involved sailing to Australia, south-east Asia, the Caribbean and the USA, onboard a variety of ships, including the world-renowned QE2.

A significant part of his job involved conducting electrical repairs and maintenance in boiler rooms and engine rooms with asbestos-lagged pipes – the fibres were regularly disturbed.

Mr Fleming, recalling the instructions he was given by his superiors while preparing the QE2 to become a troopship in the Falklands War, said: “I was told to get the job done as soon as possible and to not worry about what we were cutting through as there would be a refit when the QE2 returned home.

“We worked as fast as possible. Nobody cared about the asbestos that was being cut through. I was never provided with any facemasks or breathing protection while working on the ship.”

Mr Fleming started suffering with breathlessness six years ago. In March 2019, his consultant respiratory surgeon diagnosed him with asbestosis - a serious lung condition caused by long-term exposure to asbestos.

Normal activities that were never an issue in the past, like going up a flight of stairs, now leaves him feeling exhausted. The former Unite the union organiser, who is now retired, not only has to worry about his own health, but also his wife’s, who suffers with heart issues and requires Mr Fleming’s round the clock care and support at home.

He turned to his union and Thompsons Solicitors, a social justice law firm which has been involved in numerous landmark asbestos cases throughout the years.

Mr Fleming added: “Thompsons has been magnificent throughout the entire process, from the moment I contacted them to make a claim, to the final compensation settlement that I’m very pleased with.

“They’ve acted incredibly professionally and sympathetically. The successful conclusion of the case has given me the opportunity to get on with my life and focus on my health and that of my wife.”

Nicholas Seymour, of Thompsons’ Bristol office, said: “It’s been a long road for Cornelius to finally get the answer he needed. Despite the long, complex nature of this case, we were able to show that his employers neglected their duty of care in the workplace.

“We have included a provision which will allow Cornelius to return to court in the future if he later develops one of the malignant cancerous conditions – asbestos-related lung cancer or mesothelioma.”