A livestock carrier with 43 crew members on board after a distress signal was sent from the vessel is missing, reports BBC. Strong winds and rain from Typhoon Maysak hamper rescue of crew from Philippines, New Zealand and Australia.
What happened?
The Gulf Livestock 1 was reportedly transporting cattle from Napier, New Zealand to Tangshan, China.
Reports say the Gulf Livestock 1 issued distress signal at 0145 Tokyo time Sep 2 in East China sea, some 100 nm west of Amami Archipelago, part of the Ryukyu Islands southwest of Kyushu.
There were 5,800 cattle on board. The ship is reported to be carrying 43 crew members.
Search and rescue operation
Patrol plane searched the area, but didn’t find the ship.
Search continues, as of 1500 Tokyo time, Japan Coast Guard ship HAYATO was in the area. Last ship’s AIS position dated 1230 UTC Sep 1, ship adrift.
Patrol plane at around 1900 Tokyo time spotted a lifeboat, but no people in it, and a man in lifejacket nearby, not clear dead or alive. SAR suspended until tomorrow daylight.
The Filipino crew member, named as Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer, was rescued late on Wednesday after Japanese navy P-3C surveillance aircraft spotted him wearing a life vest and waving while bobbing in the water.
Ship lost an engine
According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said.
Crew were instructed to put on lifejackets as the ship capsized. He added, that he had jumped into the water and had not seen any other members of the crew before he was rescued.
Crew details
Crew includes 39 Filipino, 2 New Zealand, 2 Australians and 1 Singaporean nationalities.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat)
“The Australian government is providing consular assistance to the families of two Australian crew members on board a cargo vessel reported missing in Japanese waters,” DFAT said.
New Zealand animal rights organisation
New Zealand animal rights organisation SAFE said the tragedy demonstrated the risks of the live animal export trade.
“This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue,” said campaigns manager Marianne Macdonald.
Cause of the incident
The ship, judging from ship’s track and track of typhoon MAYSAK, may be caught in a center of typhoon and fall victim to its’ fury, with wind up to 130 kt in gusts.
Vessel details
Livestock carrier GULF LIVESTOCK 1, IMO 9262883, GT 11947, built 2002, flag Panama, manager HIJAZI & GHOSHEH CO, Jordan (EQUASIS).
The vessel was built in 2002 and registered in Panama. It is owned by Dubai-based Gulf Navigation.
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Source: BBC
What about the poor animals, no animals should be transported this way for so long and so far, shame on you.