A tug boat has capsized while assisting a container ship off the coast of Busan, South Korea. One crew member was reported to have died and another six members are missing.
The 286-ton tug TNS Catcher had eight crew members at the time of the incident. One Indonesian crew member was rescued by the same container ship involved in the operation. Another crew member was rescued unconscious from the water and was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
The MSC Ikaria VI, a Liberia-flagged container ship operated by MSC, encountered challenges at Songjeong Port near Busan. Three tugboats were working together to manoeuvre the 66,332-to container ship at the time of the accident.
Investigations will uncover if towline tension contributed to the unfortunate accident. Investigators are looking at the tug’s speed and timing during the change of direction, and towline force to determine what caused the tug to capsize. A collision between the tug and the container ship has been ruled out in preliminary findings.
A search operation is underway to locate the six missing crew members. Authorities have deployed more than 24 vessels and 7 aircrafts to help in search efforts.
