Search for Missing MV Jupiter’s Crew Ends

Search and rescue operation for the 16 missing crew of the ill-fated MV Jupiter that sank off the coast of Vietnam on 2 January has been terminated with the withdrawal of the remaining vessels of Vietnam’s Maritime Rescue Coordinating Committee.

The termination of the search renders the missing crew lost, Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said on Thursday.

As informed, Gearbulk, owner of the vessel,  had settled all of the Filipino seafarer-victims’ contractual benefits.

The ill-fated vessel, according to a report of POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, had a full complement of 19 Filipino seafarers when it capsized. One of the 19 Filipino seamen, Chief Cook Rojas, has been rescued and is undergoing physical therapy for injuries.

Bulk carrier MV Jupiter sank on January 2 about 150 nautical miles off the coast of Vung Tau, Vietnam, killing two crew members, with 16 still missing, and only one survivor.

World Maritime News Staff