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View all search resultsMinistry seeks to identify Indonesians on board missing Taiwanese vessel
The Foreign Ministry is trying to identify 21 Indonesian citizens working as crew members on the Hsiang Fu Chuen, a Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel that has reportedly vanished in the South Atlantic Ocean, an official has said
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T
he Foreign Ministry is trying to identify 21 Indonesian citizens working as crew members on the Hsiang Fu Chuen, a Taiwanese-flagged fishing vessel that has reportedly vanished in the South Atlantic Ocean, an official has said.
"We haven't yet obtained the names of the Indonesian crew members reportedly missing because the fishing vessel's company has not yet given us their names. We are now striving to get their names from the recruitment agency in Indonesia," said the ministry's director for legal aid and the protection of Indonesian nationals overseas, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, on Monday.
He said the ministry received information that the missing 700-ton fishing vessel carried a crew of 49. They comprise a Taiwanese captain and chief engineer, 21 Indonesians, 13 Filipinos, 11 Chinese nationals and two Vietnamese citizens.
Iqbal said contact had been lost with the vessel since Feb.26 and it was declared missing. However, he said, the Foreign Ministry had only received this information from the vessel's owners last week.
"The Taiwanese vessel made its last communication on Feb.26 when it was in the waters around the Falkland Islands and was heading into the South Atlantic," said Iqbal.
He went on to say that the ministry was also coordinating with the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office (KDEI) in Taipei in its quest for the identities of the 21 Indonesian crew members.
"Since receiving the information, we have asked KDEI Taipei to seek the identities of the crew members and the vessel's status. The KDEI will coordinate with the local authorities," said Iqbal.
Until now, he said, the exact whereabouts of the Hsiang Fu Chuen remained unknown and search operations continued despite weather-related obstacles.
The Hsiang Fu Chuen lost contact on 3 a.m. local time on Feb.26 after one of its crew members reported a leak. The vessel was 1,700 nautical miles from the Falkland Islands when it was reported missing, Taiwanese satellite data reveals.
Taiwan has launched a search operation with support from Argentina and the UK. "We still don't know the whereabouts of the vessel or what has happened to the vessel," said Huang Hong-yen, spokesperson of the Taiwanese Council of Fisheries within the Department of Agriculture as quoted by ABC. (ebf)(+++)
