According to a media report a South Korean fishing boat went into water in the Antarctic Ocean’s frigid waters, with 22 sailors feared killed in the open sea where vessels trawl for deep–water fish. The report said that 20 survivors were rescued shortly after the 614–ton vessel went down some 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) south of New Zealand, about halfway to Antarctica.
The news has been confirmed by the South Korea’s Foreign Ministry and coast guard. They said that seventeen sailors were still missing. They informed that anyone who fell into such waters would typically be dead in 10 minutes without special suits or lifejackets, though nearby fishing boats searched frantically in hopes that some may be in a life raft.
Ross Henderson, a spokesman for New Zealand’s rescue coordination center said that they were fortunate that there were a number of vessels in the general area (where the boat sank), so they were able to provide assistance. Lee Wu–won of Seoul–based Insung Corporation — which owns the boat — said a South Korean fishing trawler operating nearby first contacted Insung officials about the sinking early Monday.
The search for survivors was scaled down later Monday, and rescuers said it was increasingly unlikely further survivors would be found. Officials said that two New Zealand fishing boats were released from the effort, but three Korean vessels searched on. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the trawler had 42 people on board when it sunk: eight South Koreans, eight Chinese, 11 Indonesians, 11 Vietnamese, three Filipinos and one Russian.
Many fishing vessels ply the remote seas to haul in deep–water fish such as the Patagonian toothfish, also known as Chilean sea bass, to sell to restaurants around the world. With world consumption of seafood increasing, commercial fleets have begun to operate farther offshore to meet demand.
