One missing after Taiwanese fishing vessel catches fire in Northern Pacific

One person has gone missing and is presumed to have died after a Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel caught fire while underway in the Northern Pacific Ocean on Sunday, November 6.

The squid and saury longliner Hsiang Ching had 49 crewmembers on board and was underway some 400 nautical miles east of Hokkaido, Japan, when a blaze ignited in an undisclosed area on the vessel on the morning (local time) of Sunday.

The crew had abandoned ship and were found drifting in liferafts when a Chinese fishing vessel arrived in the area to render assistance.

All but one of Hsiang Ching‘s crew were safely rescued. The sole missing crewmember, who has been identified as a Filipino national, is not yet accounted for as of Wednesday, November 9.

The survivors included Taiwanese, Chinese, Indonesian, and Filipino nationals. All 48 were later turned over to the crew of another Taiwanese vessel.