Gearbulk's Search for Survivors or Wreckage Continues Off Vietnam

The Bulk Jupiter cargo ship’s chef Angelito Capindo Rojas (C) is evacuated to a rescuer ship in Vietnam’s coastal Vung Tau city January 5, 2015. REUTERS/VNA

“No new crewmembers or debris from the sunken vessel have been detected,” said Gearbulk in their latest update today following the sinking of their ship Bulk Jupiter early last Friday off Vietnam.

The ship’s cook Angelito Capindo Rojas is the only survivor of the incident to have been recovered and only two other bodies have been found. He spent two days in the ocean before he was rescued, according to Reuters. 14 others are still missing.

Gearbulk says a fleet of vessels and planes, under direction of the Vietnamese Coast Guard are participating in the search for survivors or any clues to what caused the ship to disappear with almost no trace into the sea. The Gearbulk vessel Sunbird Arrow is also participating in the search

Considering the ship was carrying a cargo of bauxite ore, the phenomena of cargo liquefaction – which has claimed a number of similar ships in recent years, is likely to blame.

A representative from Gearbulk’s Bergen, Norway office has travelled to Vung Tao, Vietnam, where the surviving Cook and the bodies of the two deceased arrived yesterday.

Gearbulk notes that there has been no confirmation of the identities of the remains that were recovered.