Philippines, China launch rescue missions for distressed cargo ship close to Scarborough Shoal

Scarborough Shoal is one among Asia’s most contested maritime options and a frequent flashpoint in disputes over sovereignty and fishing rights

BEIJING, China – The Philippines and China mentioned on Friday, January 23, they launched rescue operations after receiving experiences of a distressed cargo ship close to the Scarborough Shoal within the South China Sea carrying 21 Philippine crew members.

The Chinese language Coast Guard mentioned it rescued 13 of the crew after receiving a report at 1:34 am on Friday (1734 GMT Thursday) {that a} overseas cargo vessel had capsized in waters close to the shoal. It dispatched two ships for search and rescue operations.

13 folks have been saved to date, it mentioned, including that rescue efforts have been persevering with.

The Philippine Coast Guard mentioned it deployed two vessels and two plane to rescue the Philippine crew from a Singaporean-flagged cargo vessel loaded with iron ore that was en path to southern Chinese language metropolis of Yangjiang.

“The PCG Command Middle acquired info from the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Middle that 10 of the 21 Filipino crew members have been rescued by a passing China Coast Guard vessel,” it mentioned.

Scarborough Shoal is one among Asia’s most contested maritime options and a frequent flashpoint in disputes over sovereignty and fishing rights.

On Tuesday, the Chinese language navy mentioned it organized naval and air pressure models to drive away a Philippine authorities plane that it accused of “illegally intruding” into airspace over the atoll.

China claims nearly your complete South China Sea, overlapping the unique financial zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. – Rappler.com