MARITIME authorities were still searching for 11 crew members, missing and feared dead after the cement carrier Zhong Xing 2, collided with the 6,724-TEU MOL Motivator off a southern Hong Kong island.
So far only one of the 12 crewmen has been rescued, a 46-year-old who was picked up by a fishing boat 25 minutes after the collision 3.7 kilometres southwest of Po Toi Island at 2.30am on Monday.
"The cargo ship was suspected to have sunk. Twelve crewmen were onboard and one of them was picked up by a nearby fishing vessel," a Hong Kong Marine Department spokeswoman said. "The remaining 11 are still missing."
According to Chinese and Hong Kong maritime authorities, the China-flagged 5,095-dwt coaster was en route from Hebei province to Haikou at the time of the collision.
As for the 79,278-dwt MOL Motivator, which was heading towards Shenzhen-Yantian, it suffered slight damage, according to the Japanese shipping company, and is capable of sailing under its own power.
As the accident occurred outside of Hong Kong waters, Guangdong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre is leading the on-going search and rescue efforts and investigation into the collision.
The Guangdong rescue centre and the Hong Kong Government have sent in helicopters, patrol vessels, marine police launches and fireboats to locate survivors.
From Hong Kong, seven Marine Police launches, three fireboats, two diving vessels and a Government Flying Service helicopter have been involved in the search.
Deputy manager of flight operations with the Hong Kong Government Flying Service, Captain Bruce Wong Ho-man, said, "An Oil slick was spotted together with debris and some floating rings at the scene but no sign of the missing crew or sunken vessel were found."
The cause of the accident is not yet known, but it is believed that poor visibility caused by heavy rain overnight may have been partly to blame.
ACCIDENTS
08 May 2014 - 06:52
Eleven crew feared dead in collision with MOL Motivator
MARITIME authorities were still searching for 11 crew members, missing and feared dead after the cement carrier Zhong Xing 2, collided with the 6,724-TEU MOL Motivator off a southern Hong Kong island.
ACCIDENTS
08 May 2014 - 06:52
Eleven crew feared dead in collision with MOL ship off Hong Kong
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