Lost cattle export ship: second survivor found, typhoon prepares to strike search area

Japan’s coast guard rescued a second survivor in waters where a ship carrying thousands of New Zealand cows is believed to have sunk during a storm, authorities said.

Two New Zealanders were on board.

Hours earlier, an unconscious crew member was also recovered but later died.

The survivor, Jay-nel Rosals, a Filipino deckhand, was wearing a life jacket and was floating on a raft north of Amami Oshima Island in the East China Sea, where rescuers have been searching for the Gulf Livestock 1 ship and its crew missing since sending a distress signal early Wednesday.

Coast guard rescuers found an unconscious man floating face down about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of the island. The man, whose identity is unknown, was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead, said Takahiro Yamada, a spokesman for the regional coast guard headquarters.

He said rescuers also saw dozens of cow carcasses floating in the area.

Another member of the Philippine crew, CEO Edvardo Sareno, was rescued Wednesday night. Coast guard video showed rescuers carefully maneuvering their boat through rough waters to lift Sareno out of the water. He told them that the ship stopped when an engine stopped, then capsized after being hit from the side by a powerful wave and sank.

His wife, Catherine Sareno, a school teacher, said she was so concerned for her husband that she prayed all night, rosary in hand, after learning that the ship was sunk in a storm.
“Now I feel like I don’t want him to go away again,” he told ABS-CBN News.

The 11,947-ton ship, its 43 crew members and 5,800 cows left New Zealand in mid-August for Tangshan on the east coast of China.

New Zealand officials said on Friday they would temporarily suspend any new approval for the export of live cows after the incident. The Ministry of Primary Industries said in a statement that it “wants to understand what happened during the navigation of the Gulf Livestock 1”.

Rescuers found traces of fuel on the sea surface in the area on Friday, a sign of the ship’s submergence.

The total crew included 39 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from
Australia.

Liezyl Pitogo, the wife of one of the missing Filipino crew members, Lindon Pitogo, told ABS-CBN News in Manila on Friday that she was “asking for help in order to get updates and rescue help. It is difficult for someone like me to pass a no news day. “

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said the country is coordinating with the ship’s owner and the Japanese coast guard. He said he is hopeful that other members of the Philippine crew will be found soon.

Rescuers in four boats, a plane and divers joined the search operations on Friday. A package of orange rope and a life jacket bearing the ship’s name were also recovered, according to a coast guard statement.

Typhoon Maysak was blowing through southern Japan at the time of the sinking. The ship’s automatic tracker showed it sailing in strong 58-knot (66 miles or 107 kilometers per hour) winds at its last known position, according to the ship-tracking website MarineTraffic.com.

“Our hearts go out to those on board and their families at this time. We also express our deep regret at the sad loss of the livestock on board,” the ship’s operator, Dubai-based Gulf Navigation Holdings PJSC, said in a statement. . “We pray for other survivors.”

The company, which is listed on the Dubai financial market, says it owns and operates chemical tankers, cattle ships and other ships.

Another typhoon prepares to hit the search area

The Japanese Coast Guard spent the day conducting a large air and sea search of the ship or any member of the crew.

There are three Coast Guard ships, five aircraft and specially trained divers involved in the search and rescue mission.

However, the operation is expected to face more challenges with the forecast that another typhoon will pass through the search area on Sunday, according to local forecasters.

It is reported to be the third strongest typhoon ever recorded as Japan is currently facing its annual typhoon season.

The second massive storm will potentially limit the time the coast guard can continue to search.

The ship, which was commissioned by Australia-based Australasian Global Exports to transport livestock, was traveling from Napier in New Zealand to the Chinese port of Tangshan.

Australasian Global Exports said it was in contact with the families of some crew members, as well as local authorities, but did not offer further details.

“Our thoughts and prayers also go out to the ship’s officers, crew and other personnel and their families,” he said.

Queensland vet Lukas Orda, who is married with a six-month-old son, has been named as one of the Australians aboard the missing freighter.

Mr. Orda studied at James Cook University and worked at the Gold Coast Equine Clinic before joining the livestock export ship as a veterinary officer in June.

The vet’s last post was on June 24, and he wrote: “And the first 20-day leg of my trip begins …”

It was accompanied by a map showing that it was traveling to Yantai, China from the port of Portland in Victoria.

– AP, news.com.au