Reproduced from By MarEx 2016-05-07 with permission
Seventeen people are missing after a Chinese fishing boat collided with a Maltese bulk carrier and sank in the East China Sea on Saturday. Two of the fishermen were rescued by nearby fishing boats, but died later at hospital.
The fishing boat, Lu Rong Yu 58398, had 19 people on board when the incident happened at 3.40 a.m. Beijing time (1940 GMT) about 80 nautical miles from Ningbo.
Bulk Carrier Catalina – Image: Ed Cooke
China National Radio said that it had hit Maltese cargo ship 225 meter (740 foot) Catalina, a 40,485 ton bulk carrier, which has continued sailing.
A search and rescue operation is underway, but it has been hampered by low visibility and strong winds. Naval vessels, rescue ships and helicopters have been deployed as well as fishing boats in the area.
Meanwhile, the search and rescue efforts are underway in Dalian received after two incidents were reported on Saturday. A fishing boat with six on board is missing and another, with eight on board that has been missing for over 50 hours was found capsized in waters east of the city.
Update
Authorities in China detained 20 crew members of a cargo ship flying the Maltese flag that collided with a Chinese fishing vessel in the East China Sea, killing at least two, Chinese online media reported.
The case and missing fishers is being added to the Human Rights at Sea global Missing Seafarers & Fishers Reporting Programme database.