Hopes Fade for Crew of Missing Bulker off Vietnam
Bad weather hampered a search on Monday for 16 Philippine seamen missing since their cargo ship sank off Vietnam, a Vietnamese rescue official said. The Bulk Jupiter, owned by Bermuda-based Gearbulk Holdings , was carrying 46,400 metric tonnes of bauxite bulk from Malaysia to China, the company said. It sent out a distress signal early on Friday. One crew member, the ship's chef, has been rescued and two bodies, including that of the captain, have been recovered. "The weather is very bad with high waves and strong winds," said Pham Hien, vice president of the Vung Tau Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, which is leading the search. "We are all hoping but until now, no further survivor has been found," he told Reuters by telephone.
Vietnam to Prosecute Following Fatal Ship Collision
The crew of Singaporean cargo ship 'Sima Sapphire' which collided a Vietnamese fishing vessel leaving 3 dead and 5 missing will be prosecuted since data from the ship's black box incriminates its crew, according to the Vietnam Government. The Sima Sapphire was on voyage to Malaysia from Ho Chi Minh City when it collided with a Vietnamese fishing vessel from the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, which was returning to shore with 16 persons onboard. The collision threw all 16 fishermen to the sea, of whom 8 were rescued by the Singaporean ship.