One confirmed dead as South Korean tanker sinks in Taiwan Strait

One seafarer is confirmed to have died as the commercial tanker he was serving on sank in rough seas off Taiwan on Saturday, October 15.

The South Korean-flagged product tanker Kelsey 2 was en route to the Port of Gunsan when it capsized and sank in the Taiwan Strait some 25 nautical miles off Wuqiu Island on the morning (local time) of Saturday.

The ship had earlier departed Hong Kong with 7,500 tonnes of liquid cargo.

A rescue helicopter later flew to the area to evacuate the 20-strong crew. Video of the rescue operation shows the ship rolling violently with a noticeable list to port.

Nineteen of the crew were successfully rescued while the ship’s Burmese chief officer is the incident’s lone fatality. However, details on the cause of his death have not yet been disclosed.

The survivors said they first noticed water ingress in the ship’s engine room in the late evening of Friday, October 14.

Taiwanese maritime authorities said they detected no signs of pollution resulting from the sinking.