South Korean chemical tanker carrying a thousand tonnes of acid capsizes off Japanese island sparking frantic mission to find missing crew
- Two crew members of the capsized Keoyoung Sun have still not been found
- The cause of the capsizing is still unknown
- The tanker had almost a thousand tons of acrylic acid on board
Rescuers are searching for two missing people after a South Korean-flagged tanker carrying nearly a thousand tons of acid capsized in rough seas off the coast of Japan.
Nine members of the Keoyoung Sun’s 11-man crew – including two South Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese – had been rescued so far, and the coast guard is “still searching for the remaining two”, a spokesman told AFP.
The Keoyoung Sun began sinking off Yamaguchi Prefecture around 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday. At this point the crew called the coastguard to inform them that the ship would be limping towards Mutsure Island.
Musure is located on the southwestern side of Japan’s main island of Honshu, about 500 miles (800 kilometers) from Tokyo as the crow flies.
The tanker, which, according to the specialized website shipfinder.com, is a chemical and oil products tanker built in 1996, with a length of 68 meters, was carrying 980 tons of acrylic acid.
Footage from Japanese broadcaster NHK showed the ship’s fallen red hull, as well as a life raft (photo)
The tanker, according to the specialized site shipfinder.com, is a chemical and oil products tanker built in 1996
The Keoyoung Sun began sinking off Yamaguchi Prefecture around 7 a.m. local time on Wednesday
According to the Coast Guard, there was no information on whether that compound had leaked into the ocean
According to the Coast Guard, there was no information on whether that compound had leaked into the ocean.
Acrylic acid is mainly used to make acrylics and resins.
They are also used in oil treatment and water treatment chemicals.
The spokesman said he was not aware of the conditions of the rescued, who were rushed to hospital.
Footage from Japanese broadcaster NHK showed the ship’s overturned red hull and a life raft as a coast guard ship crashed through heavy waves and a helicopter flew overhead.
Japan’s coast guard received a rescue call shortly after 7 a.m. local time saying the ship was “overturning, please help us,” the spokesman said.
The ship’s operator declined to comment.