crew members remain missing to date.
On February 19, the Lien Sheng Fa fishing vessel, operating
approximately 490 nautical miles northeast of Port Louis, Mauritius,
reported anomalies through its VMS, and attempts to contact the vessel via
satellite phone were unsuccessful. On February 24, Mauritian search and
rescue personnel discovered the vessel's overturned hull. All 16 crew
members onboard were reported missing. On February 27, the Hsin Chang
Fa No. 88, a Keelung-registered fishing vessel, departed from Badu Port in
Keelung with seven crew members onboard, including one Taiwanese
captain and six Indonesian crew members. The vessel was bound for
operations north of 26°N latitude to catch squid. On March 5, the Japan
Coast Guard reported finding the overturned hull approximately 140
nautical miles northeast of Keelung. The next day, search and rescue
personnel recovered the captain’s body inside the cabin, but the remaining
six crew members remain missing.
The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) report indicates that
according to its accident database and satellite rescue system records
maintained by the Taipei Mission Control Center (TAMCC), there were 12
cases of Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessels sinking or disappearing
between August 2019, when the TTSB was established, and March 2023.
Notably, none of these incidents involved activating the emergency
position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB). 53
In July 2023, the Taiwanese-flagged Chun Yi No. 6 fishing vessel was
operating in international waters approximately 720 nautical miles
northeast of Kushiro Port, Hokkaido, Japan. A Filipino crew member fell
overboard without wearing a life jacket near the end of fishing operations.
Crew Member A, operating a hydraulic machine at the stern during the
wrap-up, saw the crew member fall into the water. Crew Member A
immediately threw a life buoy and notified the first mate, who then
TTSB, “Major Marine Occurrence Investigation Report on the Overturning of the Lien
Sheng Fa Fishing Vessel in the Indian Ocean,” p. 22, January 10, 2024.
53
58