Chinese Bulker Sinks in East China Sea with Two Dead and Seven Missing

Chinese officials are reporting that a bulk carrier sank in the East China Sea south of Shanghai. Two sailors have been confirmed dead, while four were rescued, and a search was ongoing for seven others that were missing.

The maritime search and rescue center in China's Zhejiang Province received a distress call at about 3:40 p.m. on December 30 from the dry cargo carrier the Chinese state news agency Xinhua reports. The unnamed vessel sailing with a crew of 13 was loaded with 4,700 tons of cement sailing from Wuhu to Xiamen.

The vessel reported to the maritime center that it had experienced strong waves causing its cargo hold to flood. The SAR center said that more than 20 vessels were searching the area for the crew.

This is just the latest in a series of recent incidents with Chinese vessels in the region. On December 22, two Chinese owned vessels placed distress calls after encountering a strong storm in the East China Sea. The Vietnamese Coast Guard provided medical assistance for one vessel while Chinese and Vietnamese forces responded to the sinking of a second ship. A passing cargo ship rescued the 10 crew members who had abandoned their ship after it took on a 25-degree list.

Days before those incidents, another Chinese cargo ship carrying a load of clay reported that its cargo shifted in heavy seas causing the vessel to list. In that incident, the Vietnamese Coast Guard was able to rescue 11 crew members from the ocean, but two others were found dead, and two went missing.