Coast Guard officials said a Japanese rescuer found another crew member and several dead cows in the water on Friday where the livestock ship had been cut and is believed to have sunk during stormy weather.
The man was found unconscious and floating face about 75 miles west of Amami Oshima Island in the East China Sea, where rescuers were searching for Gulf Livestock 1 ship and its missing crew as it sent an emergency signal early Wednesday.
The man, whose nationality and crew status are unknown, was taken to hospital, but was later pronounced dead, said Takhiro Yamada, a senior spokesman for the regional coast guard. He said rescuers also saw the carcasses of dozens of cows floating in the area. So far, he said he is not aware of reports of corpses being washed off the coast of Japan.
The 11,947-ton ship, with 43 crew and 5,800 cows, left New Zealand for Tangshan on the east coast of China in mid-August.
Ship carries CRE crew members, 6,000 heads of kettle caps near Japan
In this photo, taken from a video released by the 10th Regional Japan Coast Guard Headquarters, a rescued crew member of a Panamanian cargo ship carries a bottle of water, while he is accompanied by members of the Japanese Coast Guard. Is. 2020. Japanese rescuers safely unload a crew member during a search of a cargo ship carrying more than 40 crew, and thousands of cows have gone missing, sending a disturbing sound to the southern Japanese island. (10th Regional Japan Coast Guard Headquarters by AP)
A Philippine crew member, 45-year-old Chief Officer Edwardo Sareno, was rescued late Wednesday night. A Coast Guard video shows rescuers carefully maneuvering their boat into rough water to get Sarino out of the water safely. He told them that the ship got stuck when the engine stopped, then capsized after sinking after being hit by a powerful broadside wave.
Officers quoted Sereno as saying he jumped into the sea wearing a life jacket, and has not seen other crew members since.
“Thank you, thank you very much,” Sereno told the rescuer as he boarded the large vessel, where he was sitting on a blue tarp, carrying a water bottle wrapped in a blanket. “Am I alone? No one else He asked the rescuers, then added, “I’m sorry … (I’m) very lucky.”
The total crew includes 39 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia.
Four boats, a plane and divers were rescued during the search operation on Friday. A Coast Guard statement said a bundle of orange ropes and a life jacket with the ship’s name were also found.
Typhoon Mayasak was blowing in southern Japan at the time of the sinking. According to the ship-tracking website MarineTrophy.com, the ship’s automatic tracker showed the ship in its last known position at 58 knots (66 miles or 107 kilometers per hour) in strong winds.
“Our hearts go out to those on board and their families at this time. “We express our deepest condolences for the loss of livestock in the morning,” Dubai-based Gulf Navigation Holdings PJSC said in a statement.
The company, which trades in the Dubai Financial Market, says it owns and operates chemical tankers, livestock vessels and other vessels.
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Another powerful hurricane is approaching southern Japan over the weekend.
