Search in Southern Ocean stood down

The search for survivors from the Oyang 70, which capsized in the Southern Ocean early this morning, has been stood down, Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) says.

Three men, including the ship’s Korean Master and two Indonesian nationals, remain missing, presumed drowned.

RCCNZ Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Mike Roberts said the decision to cease active searching for the missing men had been difficult.

“Sadly, the chances of survival are now nil.

“The P3 Orion has been unable to locate the sixth life raft which indicates to us it has gone down with the vessel. This means the three men have been in the water for 12 hours.

“This is far and beyond the maximum time a person would survive in 7 degree water temperatures, even if they had been wearing full immersion suits.”

Mr Roberts said RCCNZ understood the men had not been wearing immersion suits, which means their maximum survival time was around three hours.

“Our condolences go out to the families and friends of the deceased today.”

The bodies of three other men – all Indonesian nationals – were recovered this morning.

However, 45 survivors were safe on board the fishing trawler Amaltal Atlantis, which was now making its way to Christchurch.

Mr Roberts said despite the tragic outcome for the six men who had lost their lives, it was “extraordinary” that so many had survived.

“From what we understand, this was a catastrophic incident. The Oyang 70 sank in just 10 minutes. It is incredible that so many survived without injury.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been liaising with the relevant foreign agencies to ensure next of kin are kept informed as to the progress of the search today.

Mr Roberts thanked the Royal New Zealand Airforce and all the fishing vessels which assisted with the rescue today, particularly the Amaltal Atlantis, which had been on scene since around 5am.

RCCNZ initiated the search after receiving an alert from the vessel’s Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) at 4.40am. The 82m trawler had 51 foreign crew – from Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and China – on board.

The EPIRB alert was followed shortly after by a mayday call from the same position, approximately 400 nautical miles east of Dunedin, relayed by the Amaltal Atlantis, which reported that Oyang 70 had sunk.

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