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The family of a kiwi missing after the cattle boat he was on sank have sought the help of an independent marine expert to find out where to look for him.
Ten days after Lochie Bellerby and fellow New Zealander Scott Harris disappeared after Gulf Livestock 1 was caught in a typhoon and sank in the East China Sea, his family continues to plead with the New Zealand government to help him find it.
Bellerby, who is in his 20s and from Southland, worked as a cattle herd manager tending the cattle on board during the course of the sea voyage.
Supplied
Scott Harris, 37, (left) and Lochie Bellerby were aboard Gulf Livestock 1.
Another 41 crew members were also on board when the ship sank. Two survivors have been found.
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The Japanese Coast Guard has canceled their full-time search for the ship. However, Bellerby’s parents, Lucy and Guy Bellerby, believe that their son may still be alive.
Based on coordinates provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), and after consulting with an independent marine expert, the family has drawn up a map of where Bellerby may be located on a life raft.
After planning where the ship was in distress, where a sailor was found dead, and where the second survivor was rescued 62 hours after the ship sank, the family believed Bellerby could be about 35 nautical miles (65 km) away. east-northeast of Kodakarajima Island. , towards the open sea.
LUCY AND GUY BELLERBY / Supplied
The family of the missing Kiwi Lochie Bellerby has worked with an independent marine expert to produce a map of where they think it may be.
Kodakarajima Island is the smallest inhabited island in the Tokara Archipelago in Japan. It has a population of only 49 people.
The second survivor and an empty lifeboat were seen from the island’s coast, outside the original search area.
Graham Flett / AP
The Gulf Livestock 1 cargo ship was photographed while sailing through Port Phillip towards the Bass Strait in Australia on April 6, 2019. It sank off the coast of Japan on September 2.
“We believe that there is still a search and rescue window for maritime authorities, based on professional principles and assumptions.
“The family understands that the Australian and New Zealand Orion search aircraft carry infrared heat detection equipment for this same ocean-type search and rescue purpose,” said Bellerby family spokeswoman Sue Sherburd.
The ship’s four life rafts have yet to be accounted for and there are many uninhabited islands nearby.
RNZ
The Japanese Coast Guard canceled its full-time search for Gulf Livestock 1, the live export ship that disappeared in a typhoon in the East China Sea.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has previously said support was being provided for the Bellerby and Harris families.
However, Sherburd said the family wanted the government to order Foreign Minister Winston Peters to “work with the Japanese authorities to take every opportunity he can to search while rescue is still possible.”
On Saturday, Peters told Newshub that New Zealand officials are studying the possibility of working with authorities in Panama, Japan, Australia and the Philippines, as well as the ship’s owners, to search for the ship’s black box, which is likely to be expensive. and difficult mission.
“We know how much it would mean for the families of those on the ship to understand more about what happened to cause this tragic loss of life.”
“[W]We believe that it is only responsible to explore what might be possible, “he said.
Harris’s mother, Karen Adrian, also urged the government to help with search and rescue efforts.
