Hong Kong Cargo Ship Begins Night Search... 14 Rescued, 8 Missing

Cargo Ship with 22 Onboard Sinks
9 Rescued Still Unconscious
Passengers Include Chinese and Myanmar Nationals

On the morning of the 25th, the Coast Guard conducted a search operation to find missing persons from a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship that sank 148.2 km southeast of Seogwipo City, Jeju.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] A Hong Kong cargo ship carrying 22 people sank in international waters southeast of Seogwipo, Jeju, and search efforts are ongoing to find the missing.

According to the Jeju Regional Coast Guard on the 25th, Korean and Japanese rescue authorities rescued 14 of the 22 crew members aboard the Hong Kong-registered timber carrier JIN TIAN, which sank 148.2 km southeast of Seogwipo Port, Jeju, in international waters early that morning. Search operations are underway for the remaining 8 crew members. The ship had 14 Chinese and 8 Myanmar nationals on board, with no Koreans reported among the crew.

Among the rescued crew, 9 remain unconscious. They are scheduled to be transported to Japan via aircraft operated by the Japan Coast Guard and the Japan Self-Defense Forces.

The rescue operation involved civilian cargo ships and aircraft, as well as patrol vessels from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. The Coast Guard deployed one patrol vessel to the accident area, and the Navy’s maritime patrol aircraft P-3C also supported the rescue and search efforts.

Earlier, the cargo ship sent a DSC distress signal activated by a person pressing a button at around 1:45 a.m. on the day of the accident, 148.2 km southeast of Seogwipo Port, Jeju. Subsequently, at 2:41 a.m., the captain communicated that they would abandon the ship and evacuate all personnel, after which contact with the cargo ship was lost. At 3:07 a.m., the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) was activated, and the Coast Guard believes the ship had already sunk by that time.