Fishing trawler sinks, two missing after collision

Captain dies after trawler sinks in collision

A trawler sank after colliding with a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier off the coast of Gijang County in Busan, leaving its captain dead and two foreign crew members missing.

The Ulsan Coast Guard said the accident occurred at about 10:10 a.m. Thursday, 23 nautical miles (42.6 kilometers) southeast of Daebyeon Port in Gijang County. The vessels involved were a 992-ton LPG carrier and a 79-ton trawler.

The fishing boat had left Busan South Port at 7 a.m. and was fishing in the area when the collision occurred. The LPG carrier departed Ulsan Port at 7:30 a.m. and was en route to Japan.

The impact sent all eight people aboard the trawler, including two South Koreans and six Indonesians, into the water as the vessel went down.

Six crew members were rescued by the LPG carrier. The captain, 62, was recovered unconscious and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 1:30 p.m. The five other survivors are receiving treatment and are not believed to be seriously injured.

The two missing crew members are Indonesian nationals in their 30s. Based on statements from surviving crew members, authorities believe they were on deck when the vessels collided and were swept into the sea.

The Coast Guard has deployed patrol vessels, helicopters and nearby fishing boats in an ongoing search operation. Search efforts have been hindered by challenging conditions, with waters about 140 meters deep and swells reaching up to 2.5 meters.

Authorities are continuing the search for the missing crew members while investigating the cause of the accident and the sequence of events that led to the collision. Interviews with personnel from both vessels are underway.


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