Push Admin

Chinese fishing vessel capsizes in Indian Ocean with 39 missing, including 5 Filipinos

Article (news)

Poornima Weerasekara, Agence France-Presse

<p>BEIJING (UPDATED) — A Chinese fishing vessel has capsized in the central Indian Ocean, with its crew of 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesian and five Filipino sailors missing, state media reported Wednesday.</p><p>A multinational search and rescue operation was under way to locate the mariners, and China&#x27;s premier called on authorities to strengthen safety procedures for fishing operations at sea.</p><p>The missing vessel, named Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028, capsized at about 3 a.m. Beijing time on Tuesday. </p><p>President Xi Jinping ordered the coordinated search, CCTV said, but &quot;so far, no missing persons have been found&quot;.</p><p>Teams from around the region are now at the scene and China has deployed two commercial vessels -- the Lu Peng Yuan Yu 018 and Yuan Fu Hai -- to help in the operation.</p><p>&quot;It is necessary to further strengthen the safety management of fishing vessels at sea and implement preventive measures to ensure the safety of maritime transportation,&quot; Premier Li Qiang said, urging relevant ministries to strengthen oversight of the fishing sector.</p><p>Beijing&#x27;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an &quot;emergency mechanism for consular protection&quot; involving embassies and consulates in Australia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries, according to CCTV.</p><p>The capsized vessel was owned by Penglai Jinglu Fishery Co., one of China&#x27;s major state-run fishing companies.</p><p>It was authorized to fish for neon flying squid and Pacific saury, according to data from the North Pacific Fishing Commission.</p><p>It left Cape Town on May 5, en route to Busan, according to the MarineTraffic tracking website, which last located the vessel on May 10 to the southeast of Reunion, a tiny French island in the Indian Ocean.</p><p>Penglai Jinglu Fishery also runs squid and tuna fishing operations in international waters including the Indian Ocean and waters surrounding Latin America.</p><p>The company declined to answer AFP questions about the incident.</p><div><strong>OVERFISHING</strong></div><p>China has the world&#x27;s largest distant-water fishing fleet, though estimates of its size vary widely.</p><p>In 2017, Beijing pledged the fleet would be capped at 3,000 vessels, but a 2020 report from United Kingdom-based think tank Overseas Development Institute placed its size at just under 17,000.</p><p>The decision followed an international backlash against overfishing by Chinese vessels.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/29/23/two-foreign-flagged-ships-collide-off-corregidor-island">Two foreign-flagged ships collide off Corregidor Island, 2 dead</a></li></ul><p>As stocks at home deplete, Chinese fishermen have increasingly sailed further afield and become entangled in a growing number of maritime disputes and accidents.</p><p>In 2019, the Philippines accused a Chinese vessel of ramming a Philippine boat in the disputed South China Sea, causing it to sink and putting the lives of nearly a dozen crew members at risk.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/12/19/chinese-ship-sinks-ph-vessel-abandons-22-pinoy-fishermen">Chinese ship sinks PH vessel, abandons 22 Pinoy fishermen</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/15/19/how-the-vietnamese-rescued-pinoy-fishermen-rammed-by-chinese-vessel">How the Vietnamese rescued Pinoy fishermen rammed by Chinese vessel</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/10/05/22/filipinos-fishing-on-frontline-of-chinas-battle-for-disputed-sea">Filipinos fishing on frontline of China&#x27;s battle for disputed sea</a></li></ul><p>AFP has contacted the foreign ministries in China and the Philippines for updates on casualties.</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9GSd_BNqrzI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_e4Z2uraHM8?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

A Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the central Indian Ocean, with its crew of 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesian and 5 Filipino sailors missing.

Chinese fishing vessel capsizes in Indian Ocean with 39 missing, including 5 Filipinos

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

News

Chinese fishing vessel capsizes in Indian Ocean with 39 missing, including 5 Filipinos

Poornima Weerasekara,

Agence France-Presse

Published May 17, 2023 11:13 AM PHT

|

Updated May 17, 2023 12:52 PM PHT

Read More:

China

maritime accident

Indonesia

Philippines

sailors

seaman

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.