Vessel lost in East China Sea
Chinese bulk carrier sinks in the East China Sea south of Shanghai with two confirmed dead and seven missing.
Chinese officials have reported the loss of a bulk carrier, reports the Maritime Executive. The unnamed vessel went down on 30th December while en route from Wuhu to Xiamen. A distress call was received by China’s Zhejiang search and rescue centre at around 3.40 p.m local time.
The ship, with a crew of 13, was loaded with 4,700 tons of cement and reported that it had experienced heavy weather that has caused its hold to flood. The SAR centre said that more than 20 vessels are searching for the missing crew.
The tragedy is the latest in a series of incidents involving Chinese vessels in recent weeks. On 22nd December two Chinese-flagged vessels broadcast distress calls after encountering storm-force conditions. The Vietnamese coastguard rendered assistance, and a few days earlier, another Chinese cargo ship came to grief with the loss of four crew.
