A Chinese fishing vessel capsised in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, with its entire crew of 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesian and five Filipino sailors missing.
Fishing Vessel Capsises
The vessel, named the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028, capsised around 12:30 am IST on Tuesday. The reason for its sinking has not been determined, although such incidents are not uncommon in the high seas.
The vessel was owned by the Penglai Jinglu Fishery – one of China’s major state-run fishing companies. According to data from the North Pacific Fishing Commission, it was authorised to fish for neon flying squid and Pacific saury.
Data gathered by the MarineTraffic tracking website showed that the boat left Cape Town, South Africa on May 5 and was heading towards Busan, South Korea.
Developing: Large Chinese fishing vessel capsizes in Indian Ocean south of Maldives/Sri Lanka. Xi Jinping orders ships to area for rescue. Crew of 39; 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians and 5 from the Philippines. https://t.co/m4dh7MAGVR pic.twitter.com/zilIHFq30P
— Ananth Krishnan (@ananthkrishnan) May 17, 2023
While the exact location of the incident has not been disclosed, the website last located the vessel on 10 May to the southeast of Reunion, a French island territory in the Indian Ocean.
Chinese media reported that the tragedy took place in the centre of the Indian Ocean.
Search and Rescue
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said that “so far, no missing persons have been found” and added that President Xi Jinping had ordered a search and rescue operation. Two Chinese vessels have been deployed to the region to assist in the operation.
Moreover, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an “emergency mechanism for consular protection,” which includes embassies and consulates in Australia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other countries.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ Coast Guard said on Wednesday that it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Chinese Embassy in Manila, as well as with search-and-rescue teams operating near the vessel’s last-known location.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said that it is “necessary to further strengthen the safety management of fishing vessels at sea and implement preventive measures to ensure the safety of maritime transportation.”