A file photo of a South Korean Coast Guard patrol vessel. The South sent two additional vessels Thursday to the site where ships collided and Chinese fishermen went missing. Photo: Xinhua
South Korean authorities were urged Thursday to step up search efforts for Chinese fishermen who fell into the sea after their boat collided with a South Korean cargo ship and sank in the waters off the west coast of South Korea on Wednesday.
The Chinese fishing boat was hit by a 1,250-ton cargo ship, the Ocean Ace No. 6, owned by South Korea's HC Freight company, in waters about 126 kilometers off the west-Gyengnyelbi islet, South Chungcheong Province, at around 0525 GMT Wednesday, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Seoul's Coast Guard, which had informed the Chinese embassy.
All crewmembers of the fishing boat, which was reportedly 10-meters long, went missing, but the exact number remains unclear. The ship could not be located through satellite tracking.
The Chinese embassy urged South Korea Thursday to try its best to locate and rescue any potential survivors.
The South Korean Coast Guard sent two additional 3,000-ton patrol vessels Thursday to the site where the incident occurred, but no substantial progress was made, the consulate office of the Chinese embassy in Seoul told the Global Times.
The cause of the incident remains under investigation, diplomats at the office said.
The only items retrieved from the sunken boat as of last night were two barrels and three life jackets, all discovered during the rescue operations, China's fishery authorities told the Global Times.
China's Ministry of Transport dispatched a helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft to the area to carry out the search, China News Service reported.
A press officer with the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Global Times Thursday that authorities had sent several patrol vessels and a helicopter to search for the miss-ing people. But the rescue was made more difficult due to bad weather, with no significant progress achieved as of press time late last night.
Typhoon Kompasu reached Ganghwa Island on the west coast, about 80 kilometers west of Seoul, at a speed of 45 kilometers per hour Thursday, according to the South Korea's meteorological authorities.
The waters around the west-Gyengnyelbi islet are historically dangerous, dubbed a "ship graveyard." Many ancient ships sank there, and collisions of fishing boats are frequently reported in the area.
A total of 177 incidents have occurred in the waters off the west coast of South Korea in the first half of the year, resulting in 10 deaths and five people missing, the Yonhap News Agency reported in July, citing official statistics.
The site where the incident occurred was identified as a zone near South Korea's coast where provisional restrictions apply, as stipulated in a fishery agreement between China and South Korea signed in 2000.
Under the agreement, Chinese fishing boats can enter the zone only after obtaining fishing licenses issued by South Korea's fishery authorities.
About 1,600 licenses are issued by South Korea each year. It was unclear Thursday whether the Chinese fishing boat had a license.
Yang Wei, a manager of an overseas fishing company based in Liaoning Province, told the Global Times that small boats have less of a chance to survive such incidents intact, especially amid bad weather.
"Smaller ships can't afford satellite-locating systems, which makes it harder for them to be identified," Yang said.
He said that Wednesday marked the end of the fishing season, but there could still be fishermen out, seeking great hauls.
Piao Jianyi, at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that the region where the incident occurred sees such shipwrecks from time to time.
"The causes of the wrecks can be complicated. So both sides should avoid ramping up domestic sentiments to avoid escalating conflicts," Piao cautioned.
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