China Rolls-out World's Second-Largest Ore Carrier
The second-largest ore carrier in the world was officially named Yuanhehai and delivered to China Ore Shipping, affiliated with China Cosco Shipping Corporation, in Shanghai, the state media reported. The 400,000-dwt mega ship, which is 362 meters long, 65 meters wide and 30.4 meters high, was delivered almost a year after the deal was made in 2016, China News Service reported. The Yuanhehai is the second-generation very large ore carrier (VLOC) designed by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company. The delivery was the first ship of the second-generation VLOC. The shipbuilder will build more VLOCs for China Ore Shipping.
Chinese Fishing Boat, Cargo Ship Collision Leaves 17 Missing
Seventeen people were missing after a Chinese fishing boat collided with a Maltese cargo ship and sank in the East China Sea on Saturday, state media reported, citing the country's coastguard fleet. 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), the China News Service said, adding that two people had been rescued by passing fishing boats and a search and rescue operation was still underway. China National Radio said that it had hit Maltese cargo ship Catalina, a 40,485 ton bulk carrier, which has continued sailing. They did not specify where in the East China Sea the collision happened.
China, South Korea Maritime Talks
China’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that China and South Korea will hold their first round of talks on maritime delimitation over the Yellow Sea in the South Korean capital of Seoul on December 22. The talks, led by South Korean Second Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, will be held in Seoul next Tuesday, the South Korean ministry said in a release. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart Park Geun Hye agreed to launch negotiations during Xi's visit to South Korea in July last year, China News Service reports. They had agreed to launch negotiations this year on the demarcation of their maritime boundaries amid tension over their overlapping exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
China Ship Sinking Spotlights Captain's Role
Three years before the cruise ship he was steering capsized in the Yangtze River, the Chinese government honoured captain Zhang Shuwen for saving the life of an elderly man who had suffered an asthma attack. Zhang is now the focus of attention after his ship, the Eastern Star, sank on Monday night during a fierce storm, in what may be China's worst maritime disaster in almost 70 years. At least 19 bodies have been found and more than 400 people are missing. Zhang escaped alive and is in police custody, although he has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Until the incident, Zhang was regarded as an effective captain. He received an "outstanding employee" award by the Chongqing Eastern Shipping Corporation last year…
Taiwan Searches For Chinese Sailors
Taiwan on Tuesday searched on for 10 Chinese crew members of a Belize-registered vessel that went missing off the island's southern coast during a killer typhoon, though hopes of finding survivors were fading, officials said. "After 72 hours, chances of finding any survivors are low," said Younger Wu of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. "The emergency task force had been called off, but we will continue the search until all bodies are accounted for," Wu, who heads the ministry's Navigation & Aviation Department, told a news conference. Typhoon Chebi lashed Taiwan and China over the weekend, killing at least 87 people and injuring 116.
