Search for missing Korean vessel in South Atlantic continues

Search operations are ongoing for the Korean cargo ship Stellar Daisy that went missing and is presumed to have sank in the South Atlantic, after making its last contact off Uruguay, Friday.

Two Filipino sailors were rescued from a life raft, Saturday, among the 24-member crew, which consisted of eight Koreans and 16 Filipinos.

According to AFP, Monday, Gaston Jaunsolo, a spokesman for the Uruguayan navy, said the two rescued sailors are in good condition, and the search is ongoing for the others.

He said a Brazilian aircraft has joined the search, and four other Korean merchant ships and an Argentine navy ship were also assisting.

On Sunday, a C-130 aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force conducted a search within a 500-kilometer radius of the ship’s last reported position including the point where the two Filipino crewmembers were picked up.

Two more rafts have been recovered, but without any survivors. The navy spokesman said a search was ongoing for two more life rafts.

Jaunsolo said the cause of the ship’s disappearance was unclear.

A crew member sent a distress signal to its operator Polaris Shipping, late Friday, claiming water was entering the vessel and that it was listing.

According to a statement from the Uruguayan navy, the first ships to approach the scene noted a “strong smell of fuel” and noticed debris, “an indication that the damaged ship had sunk.”

The surviving Filipino crewman said water had rapidly filled the vessel through a crack before the sinking.

Based on the testimony, the ship operator is presuming the freighter sank within five minutes of the sending of the distress signal.

Family members of missing crew members claimed the vessel was too old.

At a briefing on the incident held at Polaris Shipping in Busan, Sunday, family members said the hull must have cracked due to its age.

The 25-year-old vessel had originally been an oil tanker, which was remodeled into a bulk carrier in 2009.

Polaris Shipping officials acknowledged the ship was old, but said it was unclear whether this was the cause of the sinking.

The Stellar Daisy left port in Brazil, March 26, carrying 260,000 tons of iron ore for China.