Another Filipino crewman of capsized cattle ship near Japan rescued, identified

Another Filipino crewman of a 43-crew ship carrying cattle that capsized off the coast of Japan has been rescued, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Saturday.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, Bello identified the rescued Filipino as Jay-Nel Rosales.

He is the second person to be rescued after Sareno Edvarodo, a Filipino. 

“Sa 39 nating kababayan, dalawa na ang nare-recover na buhay—si Captain Sareno at si Jay-Nel Rosales,” Bello said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier reported a Filipino crewman of the capsized ship Gulf Livestock 1 was found on a life raft.

According to the DFA, the Filipino is “conscious and able to walk.”

Sareno and Rosales were among the 43 crew members of the cattle-carrying ship from New Zealand going to China. The crew was made up of 39 Filipinos, two New Zealand nationals, and two Australians.

In its bulletin on Saturday, the DFA said that the two Filipino survivors have been in contact with their respective families.

The Labor chief said another person, presumably a Filipino, was found but had died.

Bello said the rescue operation had to be stopped on Friday night due to Typhoon Kristine (international name: Haishen), but will be resuming “anytime today.”

The DFA, likewise, confirmed that in light of expected arrival of the typhoon in Japan, the Japanese Coast Guard has temporarily suspended its search and rescue operations.

“The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) continue to monitor and coordinate the situation with the Japanese Coast Guard, shipowner and the manning agency to extend all appropriate support for the Filipino seafarers and their families,” it said.

Spotted by plane

According to a Reuters report, Rosales was spotted by a search plane, Japan's coast guard said.

He was on a life raft waving for help two kilometers off Kodakarajima, a small island in Japan's southern Kagoshima prefecture.

He was conscious and was able to walk when the coastguard rescued him. Rescuers also found an overturned orange lifeboat floating at sea some 4 km (2.5 miles) off Kodakarajima, but no one was found on that boat.

The Gulf Livestock 1 capsized in the East China Sea on Wednesday and is believed to have sunk.

The ship, with a crew of 43 crew and a cargo of 6,000 cattle, had sent a distress call amid strong winds and heavy seas whipped up by Typhoon Julian (international name: Maysak).

Earlier on Friday it emerged the vessel had a history of mechanical issues.

The search is still on for the remaining 40 crew members.

Rescuers have also found a life jacket and cattle carcasses in the area where the ship is believed to have sunk.

Gulf Livestock 1, owned by UAE-based Gulf Navigation, lost engine power before it was hit by a massive wave, according to Edvarodo, who was rescued on Wednesday. Edvarodo remains in a hospital.

The ship is technically managed and crewed by Germany's Marconsult Schiffarht GMBH, while the commercial manager is Jordan-based Hijazi & Ghosheh Co.

"We are monitoring the situation closely," a spokesman for Gulf Navigation said in an emailed statement. "Our hearts go out to those onboard and their families at this time."

The company is working with those involved in rescue efforts and regrets the loss of livestock, he added.

Mechanical defects

Several maritime reports logged over the past two years showed the ship may have had some mechanical defects and revealed operational concerns.

A December inspection report from Indonesian authorities on the website of Equasis, which collates ship safety information from both public and private sources, logged issues with the ship's propulsion and auxiliary machinery.

The issues included "deficiencies" with the propulsion main engine, gauges and thermometers.

A 2019 report by the Australian government on the cattle ship's transit in June from Australia to Indonesia noted the vessel's departure was delayed for a week because of "stability and navigation issues identified by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority".

Gulf Navigation, Marconsult Schiffarht and Hijazi & Ghosheh Co. did not immediately respond to questions about the reports.

The Japanese coastguard said on Friday it had not set a deadline to end the search for survivors from the ship, which left Napier port in New Zealand on Aug. 14 and had been due to arrive 17 days later at the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China.

Four vessels, an airplane and several divers were scouring the waters on Friday when they discovered the second crew member, the one who died. He has not been publicly identified.

The coastguard said the man died a short time after they pulled him from the sea about 120 km (75 miles) north-northwest of Amami Oshima island and transferred him to hospital.

Melbourne-based Australasian Global Exports confirmed it employed four of the people onboard, with the remaining crew engaged by Gulf Navigation.

"We are in full contact with the families of our four colleagues and are offering them all the support we can," it said in a statement. —with reports from Reuters and Ted Cordero/KG, GMA News