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Graham Flett / AP
The 11,947 tonne cargo ship Gulf Livestock 1 sails through Port Phillip heading to the Bass Victoria Strait in Australia, April 6, 2019. Japanese rescuers are searching for the cattle boat carrying 42 crew members and 5,800 cows after a survivor said it sank during bad weather. off an island in southern Japan, according to the coast guard.
One of the two New Zealanders missing after a cattle boat capsized off the coast of Japan is believed to be from Southland.
Stuff You understand that Lochie Bellerby was on board the ship.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the organization was in contact with Japanese authorities as part of its consular response and was in close contact with the families of the two New Zealanders on board.
“For privacy reasons, we do not disclose information about people involved in consular cases.”
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The search for the crew of the missing ship was temporarily suspended over the weekend due to Typhoon Haishen, according to the Philippine government.
It was the second typhoon to hit the area in recent days.
The Cattle Boat Gulf Livestock 1 It left Napier in mid-August and headed for the east coast of China with 43 crew members and 5,800 cows on board.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said support was being provided to the families of the two New Zealanders.
Ardern said she had not been in contact with the families.
“But I looked for information on whether or not they were receiving support and I understand that they are,” he said Saturday.
“Obviously the key for us will be to make sure they get as much information as possible.”
Officials expected a new briefing from the Japanese coast guard.
The coast guard found a third member of the crew on Friday (local time) in waters where the ship traveling from Napier to China was believed to have sunk.
The man rescued was Jay-nel Rosals, a Filipino sailor.
He was wearing a life jacket and was floating on a raft north of Amami Oshima Island in the East China Sea.
According to a rescued crew member, the missing ship came to a halt when an engine stalled, then capsized and sank after being hit by a powerful wave during stormy weather.
Now three crew members have recovered after the apparent sinking, however only two have survived.
The total crew included 39 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia.
Rescue teams have found traces of fuel on the sea surface in the area, a sign of the ship’s submergence.
Rescuers also saw dozens of cow carcasses floating in the area, as well as a life jacket.
The ship had sent out a distress call amid strong winds and rough seas from Typhoon Maysak.
Rescuers in three patrol boats, three planes and divers joined the search operations.
A package of orange rope and a life jacket bearing the ship’s name were also recovered, according to a Coast Guard statement.
In his comments on Saturday, Ardern noted that exports of live animals had stopped while the incident was being investigated.
