A tug boat left for north China's Tianjin port at 12:05 a.m. on
Friday to tow a diving vessel to the area where a ship from South
Korea sank on Saturday.
The diving vessel, expected to arrive Saturday morning, will
drop anchor in the area and provide a stable working platform for
divers.
Chinese authorities on Friday sent nine more divers to the area,
bringing the total number of divers involved to twenty-five,
according to the latest information from China's Ministry of
Communications.
The South Korean ship "Golden Rose" loaded with 5,900 tons of
steel sank off the coast near Yantai in east China's Shandong
Province, around 3:00 a.m. on Saturday in heavy fog after colliding
with the "Jinsheng", a Chinese container ship operated by Shandong
Lufeng Shipping Company Ltd.
Sixteen sailors from the "Golden Rose" -- eight South Korea
nationals, seven from Myanmar and one from Indonesia -- are still
missing almost a week after the accident.
Divers were unable to reach the vessel on Thursday evening due
to strong winds and waves, and were waiting to dive again when
conditions permitted, the ministry spokesman said.
More than 300 Chinese ships and three aircraft have joined the
search for the missing sailors, and China has invited South Korea
to send rescue boats and coast guard vessels.
Searchers have found two life rafts, four life rings, a wooden
oar, traces of fuel oil and other debris from the "Golden Rose",
but no sign of the crew.
?
(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2007)