Oil spotted in remote ocean ends hope for missing ship
>> Vietnamese ship goes missing with 23 crew members
Rescue operations from the Philippines and Japan have halted their search for a missing Vinalines ship after finding a patch of oil in an area of ocean 5,000 metres deep.
The oil found on December 27 by the Japan Coast Guard
Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (Vietnam MRCC) said the oil patch was sighted at 9:50pm on December 27 by aircraft of the Japan Coast Guard.
However, they found no floating objects or debris in the surrounding areas, the centre noted.
“The failure to find any debris in the waters has almost made it certain that the cargo ship did not have a wreck, however, we have yet to make any contact." said Nguyen Van Hanh, Director of Vinalines Shipping Company, the ship’s owner, a subsidiary of Vietnam National Shipping Lines (Vinalines).
Despite favourable weather, it is unfeasible to send search divers to depths of 5,000 metres. Also Filipino rescue helicopters detected no other signs around the area where the ship went missing. The Japan Coast Guard has also used aircraft for search and rescue purposes.
The vessel went missing on Christmas Day, December 25, while transporting 54,400 tonnes of nickel ore to a destination in the northeast Philippines, called Luzon Island, the ship made a transmission to Vietnam MRCC that it was leaning 180 degrees. Afterwards the signal was lost.
Coordinates where the ship went missing
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