Lost Cattle Export Ship Gulf Livestock 1: Families Continue to Search for Loved Ones

The families of the missing crew members aboard the missing Gulf Livestock 1 continue their search, amid claims of possible signs that the survivors may be hiding on a group of remote islands.

New Zealanders Lochie Bellerby and Scott Harris are among 40 people who were not found after Gulf Livestock 1 sank in the East China Sea during typhoon conditions in September.

Australian media have reported that there is new hope that more people on board have survived, with claims of possible signs of life in the Tokara Islands, which lie off the coast of Japan.

Today, the Bellerby family said in a statement that they were hopeful that there would be “signs of life” after the sighting of the debris.

“The rubble was found after a privately funded search of the Tokara Islands, a chain of 12 small islands of which seven are inhabited.

“That [the debris] It includes a Viking life raft canopy, a life ring, a single blue boot, several dead cows, and three orange barrels tied together. “

The family that had been helping to fund a private search stated that to date it had cost about $ 54,000 of donated money on fixed-wing flights and $ 81,000 on helicopter overflights.

The satellite search would continue and a privately funded aircraft search of the Amami Islands would be conducted this weekend by helicopter.

Both kiwis were in constant contact with their parents during the trip.

Her son told Lucy Bellerby that conditions were “extremely harsh” and the boat was tilted 35 degrees.

Harris’s mother, Karen Adrian, said last month that her son frequently texted her and said the surf was between 12 and 20 feet at times during the typhoon.

“We are doing our best to get some action and hold on; they can survive this, they can,” he said.

“They are strong young men, if anyone can do it, those guys can do it.

After unsuccessful attempts to seek federal help to fund the search, the family and friends of two missing Australians, William Mainprize and Lukas Orda, have turned to the general public for help.

Mainprize’s close friend Harry Morrison launched a GoFundMe page, which has since raised a total of $ 127,431, with donations coming from New Zealand, Australia, Germany, the UK and the Philippines.

Morrison is asking the public to donate so the private search and rescue mission can continue.

“We are finding a lot of debris from the boat, we have found two dead cattle on an island,” he told nine.com.au.

“We have found parts of a life raft, we have found life rings, we have found life jackets.”

In another interview with NCA NewWire, Morrison said: “There are hundreds of uninhabited islets and islands in Japan that the crew could have been washed away and just waiting for us.

“This is not a search for closure. In our minds, this is still an active search to rescue the missing crew.

“We cannot forget that there are still four life rafts and one lifeboat from the ship that are not yet known and we are appealing for anyone who has the means to donate and join the search with us.”

Morrison said he was “displeased” that the Australian government and the Japanese Coast Guard did not search for the missing crew members.

“Will is just a ball of energy and light and he’s the happiest, friendliest, most resilient person,” she said.

“He would be able to do this if someone could. A lot of them too … it’s heartbreaking to think that they’re on an island or on a raft and no one is looking for them.

“Until we find the life rafts that have been witnessed by a survivor, until the moment we find them, we are still in the provision that they are still out there.”

The freighter was heading to the east coast of China after leaving Napier last month and was due to arrive when bad weather hit and allegedly capsized after an abnormal wave.

He sent out a distress signal at 4.45am (NZT) on Wednesday, September 2, reporting an engine failure. Typhoon Maysak was blowing through southern Japan at the time of the incident.

The ship’s automatic tracker showed it sailing in strong 58-knot (107 km / h) winds at its last known position, according to the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.com.