ATSB investigate WA cargo ship death

A man who fell overboard from a cargo ship and drowned off the West Australian coast was using a ladder that was rigged upside down, the nation's transport safety authority says.

The second mate drowned in rough conditions after falling off a rope ladder suspended from the side of cargo ship Hyundai Dangjin at Cape Lambert last year.

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found the ladder, that the second mate used to climb down the side of the ship to check the draught, did not provide a flat surface to stand on because it was upside down.

Several attempts were made to rescue the man, who drifted up to 20 metres from the boat before he was dragged back showing no signs of life.

He was later pronounced dead when ambulance staff boarded the vessel, which was in the final stages of loading its cargo of iron ore in Port Walcott.

Ship manager Toyo Sangyo Company has since implemented new safety procedures related to checking a ship's draught, while port manager Rio Tinto banned rope ladders from being used to undertake the readings in its port.