A South Korean ship carrying 24 crew members went missing and is believed to have sunk in the South Atlantic, some 3,700 kilometers off Uruguay, Yonhap News Agency reported .
On March 31, the crew of the very large ore carrier (VLOC) Stellar Daisy sent a distress signal to Polaris Shipping, the owner of the vessel, saying that the ship was taking on water.
The 1993-built ship was carrying eight South Korean and sixteen Filipino sailors. Two of the sailors were rescued on April 1, Yonhap cited South Korea’s government official as saying.
A search operation is continuing for the remaining 22 crew members.
South Korea has asked Brazil and Uruguay for assistance in the search and rescue operations, according to Reuters.
Polaris Shipping will also send three merchant ships to search for the missing crew.
The 266,100 dwt ship was on its way from Brazil to China.
World Maritime News contacted relevant authorities for more information on the incident, however, they are yet to reply.
World Maritime News Staff