Three people are missing after a Japanese cargo ship sank early Friday following a collision with a foreign vessel in the Seto Inland Sea, western Japan, coast guard officials said.
Specifically, the accident, which occurred off Ehime Prefecture and involved the 11,454-ton Japanese ship Byakko and a 2,696-ton Marshall Islands-registered chemical tanker the Ulsan Pioneer was reported at around 11:55 p.m. Thursday. Eventually, the ship sank at around 2:45 a.m. Friday.
For the records, nine of the 12 people on board the Japanese ship have been rescued, while three are missing. Of the nine rescued, five were collected by a coast guard patrol vessel and four by a private container ship that was nearby, the office said.
Following the accident, the ship sustained significant damage to its bow but remains afloat.
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According to Prince Kaiun Co. based in Kobe, which operates the Japanese ship, the 170-meter-long Byakko left port in Kobe in western Japan at 4:30 p.m. Thursday for Kanda in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan. It was carrying auto parts.
The chemical tanker left a Chinese port on Tuesday and was scheduled to arrive at Osaka port at 2 p.m. Friday.
Concluding, Coast Guard patrol ships and fishing boats are searching for the missing people.
