A Korean cargo vessel reportedly went missing earlier this Friday night in the South Atlantic near Uruguay. Before vanishing the ship had raised a distress call to its operator.
What happened?
The 266,141-ton Stella Daisy owned by Busan-based Polaris Shipping was sailing in the Atlantic waters near Uruguay after departing to Brazil on March 26. The ship had eight Koreans and 16 Filipinos crew members onboard were enroute to Qingdao, China when it vanished.
The ship reportedly had raised a distress call to its local operator saying the ship was “swiftly tilting” – only two crew members among eight Koreans and 16 Filipinos have been rescued so far.
Rescue search initiated:
According to Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two people who were saved were Philippine nationals by four commercial ships, including one Maltese and one Korean, which were passing near where the ship issued its last signal. Authorities said they reported the case to their maritime counterparts in Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina, and were seeking help through them because Korea does not hold jurisdiction over the area. The ship is believed to have capsized, said the ministry.
Eight Koreans and 14 Filipinos remain unaccounted for. The captain and sailors were all Korean nationals.
Statement released:
At 11:20 p.m. last Friday night, as the ship reached 1,550 miles southeast of Brazil’s Santos, a crew member messaged the Polaris Shipping in Korea through the smartphone app Kakao Talk to say that water was suddenly filling the vessel and that it was “swiftly tilting” toward the direction of the leak. The operator replied moments later asking the crew to give a call, but did not receive one, according to the shipping company, which publicly revealed the discussion. The two Filipinos who were rescued were on a life raft when four commercial ships found them Saturday night. Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it was told by the two survivors that the ship had abruptly turned left and started sinking. Minutes later, sea water poured in, they attested.
Investigation underway:
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said it organized an emergency team of around 20 experts for the case, led by the chief of the ministry’s Maritime Affairs and Safety Policy Bureau. The Foreign Ministry and also the Public Safety and Security Ministry are helping with rescue operations and contacting foreign governments.
Lifeboats destroyed:
The Stella Daisy had two powered life boats that could carry 30 people each and four life rafts that could hold 16 people each. All but one life raft have been discovered so far. The two life boats were “severely destroyed,” as were two other life rafts.
“We’re not sure whether any other people were on the life boats,” said an official from the Foreign Ministry, “or whether the boats actually worked properly during the accident.”
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Source: Korea Joongang Daily
