Bulk carrier sinks near Philippines, 10 missing
Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier Emerald Star sank near Luzon of The Philippines on Friday.
The incident occurred when the 57,000 dwt supramax bulk carrier was carrying nickel ore from Indonesia to China’s Lianyungang Port under rough sea conditions.
According to local sources, the nickel ore was going to be transported to Chinese iron and steel producer Shagang Group’s plant in Jiangsu.
Of the 26 crew members onboard the vessel, 16 were rescued by nearby vessels Densa Cobra and SM Samarinda. The other 10 crewmembers including the ship’s captain, all Indian nationals, remain missing.
Coast guards from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan and India have all joined search efforts for the missing crew.
The vessel is owned by Dubai Bulkers and managed by Stellar Ocean Transport.
When you saw the headline, you thought “Nickel ore”, didn’t you?
We all did.
Shame on the IMO.