Urgent Alert After Chinese Bulker Issues Distress Signal
The Philippine Coast Guard issued an urgent alert to all vessels on Friday, January 30, after it received a distress call from a Chinese-owned bulker. Few details were issued, but it appears contact has been lost with the ship in the waters near Eastern Samar.
The alert requested all vessels transiting the area to “keep a sharp lookout” for the distressed ship. They were instructed to report all findings to the nearest Coast Guard office or radio station.
The distress call was issued by the Xing Guang 11, a dry bulk carrier registered in Panama. The ship was built in 2008 and is owned by a Chinese company. It is 18,000 dwt and 150 meters (492 feet) in length. In the ship's last Port State inspection in November in Vietnam, it was cited with deficiencies related to the operational readiness of its lifesaving appliances. The ship, however, was not detained.
The last known position was approximately 54 nautical miles east-northeast of the vicinity of Siluan Island. It is in the Eastern Samar region of the Philippines.
The report did not indicate how many crew were aboard the vessel or the nature of the distress and details received from the ship. The AIS signal indicates the ship had departed Nakhodka, Russia, on January 21 and was bound for Bahudopi in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The area is known as a hub for nickel mining and processing.
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Today’s alert comes just a week after another bulker, Devon Bay, sank after loading a cargo of nickel ore. Yesterday, January 29, insurer Guard issued a warning about the dangers of transporting nickel ore. It wrote that “Gard once again alerts members and clients to the significant risks involved in the carriage of nickel ore, particularly loaded from the Philippines.”
It is unclear if the missing vessel was making runs with nickel ore and heading back to take another load. The Philippine Coast Guard has not issued follow-up statements at this point regarding the search.
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