Update: No Trace of Bulk Jupiter or Its Missing Crew

No new crew members or debris from the sunken supramax bulk carrier Bulk Jupiter have been detected during the recent search operations, the vessel’s owner and operator Gearbulk said in a statement. 

Bulk Jupiter sank on January 1 about 150 nautical miles off the coast of Vung Tau, Vietnam, killing two of the crew members, with 16 still missing, and only one survivor.

A fleet of vessels and planes, under direction of the Vietnamese Coast Guard are participating in the operations from where Bulk Jupiter issued distress signals.

Gearbulk said that Bulk Jupiter departed Kuantan on December 30, 2014, at around 20:00 hours local time, with 19 crew members, all Filipinos, on board and about 46,400 mts of Bauxite in bulk, stowed in all five of her cargo holds.

The vessel issued distress signals at 22:54 hours local time on January 1. The Japanese Coast Guard received the distress alert and immediately initiated a search and rescue operation. One lifeboat and a life raft, both empty, from Bulk Jupiter have been observed by M/V Zim Asia in the vicinity.

The tug boat, M/V OLNG Muttrah, picked up one surviving crew member in the area, identified as the chief cook Angelito Roxas.