Survivor Confirms Cattle Boat Carrying Missing New Zealanders Capsized and Sunk in Storm | 1 NEWS



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Japanese rescuers were searching today for a cattle boat with 42 crew on board that, according to a survivor, sank during bad weather a day earlier on an island in southern Japan, the coast guard said.

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Only one of the 43 crew has been rescued, and he said the ship capsized before sinking. Source: 1 NEWS


The Filipino crew member was rescued today after a Japanese navy P-3C surveillance plane spotted him wearing a life jacket and saluting as he bobbed in the water.

The man, who is in good health, told rescuers the ship capsized before sinking, spokesman Yuichiro Higashi said at the regional headquarters of the Japanese coast guard that conducted the search.

The 11,947-ton ship Gulf Livestock 1 was carrying 5,800 cows west of the western coast of Amami Oshima in the East China Sea when it sent out an early morning distress call.

The cause of the distress was not immediately known, but the weather was harsh in the area due to Typhoon Maysak.

Since then, the typhoon has passed through the area and the weather during the ongoing search is good, Higashi said.

The ship’s other crew includes 38 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia.

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Two New Zealanders were aboard Gulf Lifestock 1, which left Napier with 5,867 head of cattle and 43 crew on board. Source: Reuters


The ship, owned by the United Arab Emirates-based Gulf Navigation Holding, left the port of Napier in northeast New Zealand in mid-August and headed for the port of Tangshan on China’s east coast.

In the wake of the ship’s sinking, the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries temporarily suspended applications to export livestock.

“MPI wants to understand what happened during the navigation of the Gulf Livestock 1,” a spokesperson told 1 NEWS.

The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it is providing consular assistance, but declined to comment further.

The ship’s operator, Gulf Navigation Holdings PJSC, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, declined to comment. The company, which is listed on the Dubai financial market, says it owns and operates chemical tankers, cattle ships and other ships.

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