The Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship Jin Tian has sunk off in waters between South Korea and Japan and rescue efforts are under way.

The vessel carrying 22 crew members sank early on Wednesday 110 kilometres west of the remote Danjo islands, part of Nagasaki prefecture, a Japan Coast Guard spokesman said, confirming an earlier Kyodo News report. The coast guard received a distress call at 11.15pm on Tuesday, he said, adding the cause of the sinking was still unknown.

The Jin Tian crew consisted of 14 Chinese nationals and eight from Myanmar, the Coast Guard said. They boarded emergency rafts at 2.40am, and the ship went under six minutes later, they added.

The coast guard of the southern South Korean island of Jeju said five crew members were rescued by nearby vessels after the 6551-tonne Jin Tian sank about 150km south of the island while transporting timber.

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It said the ship’s captain last communicated with the coast guard through a satellite phone at around 2.41am, informing officials the crew members would abandon ship.

No one was found in the three life rafts and two lifeboats searched by South Korean coast guard crews who arrived later on a speedboat.

Strong wind warnings have been issued at the site of the sinking where Japanese coast guard vessels and aircraft were searching for survivors with nearby commercial vessels.

Three civilian ships – a Japanese research vessel, a Liberian tanker and Chinese cargo ship – were undertaking rescue efforts, maritime authorities said, adding that the Coast Guard and Japan Self-Defence Forces were en route.

The incident, coming during an unusually frigid week in Japan, appears to be the worst since a cargo ship carrying almost 6000 cattle sank in 2019 off the coast, leaving most of the crew of 39 missing at sea.

More to come

Bloomberg, AP