A ship owned by ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has apparently hit a fishing boat Monday as it was sailing from China's Qingdao Port to Busan in Korea. According to correspondence between Chinese and Korean authorities, one man was hurt and nine are considered missing.
Ofer Maritime's spokesman said that the ship's crew are conducting scans in the scene. He said that several fishing boats were spotted in the area but that there was no evidence of irregular activity. At dawn a boat was spotted floating upside down, he said.
ZIM said there were no people in the water or any floating objects. Other boats carried on sailing. The captain had assumed that the boat has been upside down for some time and carried on sailing to Busan but reported the matter to Korean authorities.
Investigators on behalf of the Busan port found no signs of any vessel hitting the boat. Ofer Maritime stressed that the ship's crew is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities. "Although it is not certain that the ship hit the boat there is a definite possibility that this indeed happened. We deeply regret the human tragedy."
ZIM Shekou is owned by Ofer Maritime and ZIM Integrated Shipping Services.