BEIJING—A Chinese fishing vessel has capsized in the central Indian Ocean, with its crew of 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesian, and five Filipino sailors missing, state media reported Wednesday.
A multinational search and rescue operation was underway to locate the mariners, and China’s premier called on authorities to strengthen safety procedures for fishing operations at sea.
The missing vessel, named Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028, capsized at about 3 am Beijing time on Tuesday (1900 GMT Monday).
President Xi Jinping ordered the coordinated search, CCTV said, but “so far, no missing persons have been found.” Teams from around the region are now at the scene and China has deployed two commercial vessels — the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 018 and Yuan Fu Hai — to help in the operation.
Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an “emergency mechanism for consular protection” involving embassies and consulates in Australia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries, according to CCTV.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said that they are also cooperating with the Department of Foreign Affairs and other concerned agencies. Xilian also confirmed that at least five Filipinos missing.
The capsized vessel was owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co., one of China’s major state-run fishing companies.
The Philippine Coast Guard said that it is coordinating with the Chinese Embassy after receiving the report. “The PCG Command Center is monitoring the incident and coordinating with the PCG SAR teams near the last known location of the said Chinese fishing vessel for possible assistance,” Coast Guard said in a statement on Wednesday.
Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency said that the incident occurred approximately 4,600 kilometers or 2,900 miles northwest of Australia.
As of press time, four vessels and three aircraft are conducting search and rescue operations in the area.
The Chinese vessel was authorized to fish for neon flying squid and Pacific saury, according to data from the North Pacific Fishing Commission.
It left Cape Town on May 5, en route to Busan, according to the MarineTraffic tracking website, which last located the vessel on May 10 to the southeast of Reunion, a tiny French island in the Indian Ocean.
Penglai Jinglu Fishery also runs squid and tuna fishing operations in international waters including the Indian Ocean and waters surrounding Latin America.
The company declined to answer AFP questions about the incident. With Rey E. Requejo and Charles Dantes