DFA looking into reported sinking of cargo ship with 19 Filipino sailors in Vietnam

Spokesperson Charles Jose said the DFA is looking into the reported sinking of a cargo ship with 19 Filipino seafarers onboard off Vietnam’s coast. INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is looking into the reported sinking of a cargo ship in Vietnam carrying 19 Filipinos, spokesperson Charles Jose said on Saturday.

Jose said the DFA is coordinating with Vietnamese authorities to confirm the reported sinking of the Bulk Jupiter, which supposedly carried 19 Filipino crew members.

“Our Embassy in Hanoi is coordinating with Vietnamese authorities to get confirmation and more details about the reported sinking of cargo ship Bulk Jupiter. As always, we stand ready to extend necessary and appropriate assistance to the ship’s Filipino crew members and their families,” Jose said in a text message to INQUIRER.net

Ho Chi Minh-based news website Tuoi Tre News reported that the Bahamian-flagged cargo ship sank on January 2 off the Vietnam coast 150 nautical miles from the southern city of Vung Tau.

As of Friday afternoon, the report said a Vietnamese rescue team saved one sailor identified as the cook, and recovered two bodies, one of which was said to be that of the cargo ship’s captain.

The Bulk Jupiter, which was carrying 46,400 tons of iron ore from Malaysia to China, supposedly sank for “unknown reasons,” the report said, quoting the Vietnamese maritime rescue force.

Tuoi Tre News published a list of crew members on the ship, but the DFA has not yet confirmed this.

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