Two crew members missing after Chinese boxship collision with fishing vessel

On the morning of 14 December, Heng Yu, a Chinese flagged container ship collided with a Korean fishing vessel. The accident occurred in the East China Sea, approximately 50 nautical miles from South Korea’s Yeosu.

The 129-tonne fishing vessel, which had a crew count of 27 onboard, has reportedly sunk. 25 of the 27 personnel have been declared safe after being rescued, whereas two crew members remain missing. Search and Rescue (SAR) tugs from South Korea have reached the destination, and rescue missions are underway.

The boxship was dispatched from Gwangyang, South Korea on 13 December, and as per automatic identification system (AIS) reports, is currently sailing at 10.6 knots, heading towards China’s Nanjing. However, after the collision, the vessel stopped in its tracks, and there were concerns that it would be ordered to go back to South Korea for investigation by the respective authorities.