Fishermen find missing newbuid barge in the Taiwan Strait
Guangzhou: A group of fishermen from Fujian found a barge drifting in the Taiwan Strait with nobody onboard last week, and they have spent six days to tow it back to Fuzhou using three fishing vessels.
The barge Aditama 6, classified by ABS, is one of a series of barges built by Nanjing Sandingli Boats for Indonesian owner PT Join Aditama Samudra.
The vessel was towed towards Indonesia in May following the delivery at the shipyard. It became detached from the tugboat after being hit by a storm on May 21 and had been missing ever since.
Another newbuild barge of the company, Aditama 1, also went missing near Guangdong last year. The vessel was found by local fishermen, who asked for a huge towing fee and custody fee from the shipowner. The dispute still hasn’t been solved and the vessel is now in a bad condition due to poor care.
Local maritime authorities and insurance companies have started investigations into the case.