  Po Toi Island 2014 Po Toi Island ship collision (Hong Kong) | |
| Date | 5 May 2014 |
|---|---|
| Missing | 11 |
| Property damage | Cargo ship sunk |
On 5 May 2014, the cargo ship Zhong Xing 2 and the container ship MOL Motivator collided off Po Toi Island near Hong Kong, resulting in Zhong Xing 2 sinking. All but one of Zhong Xing 2's twelve-man crew were left missing and presumed dead; a rescue operation was conducted by Chinese authorities, and a fishing vessel rescued one man, Zhong Xing 2's sole survivor.
The accident involved the 300-metre (980 ft), [1] 79,400-ton [2] Mitsui O.S.K. Lines container ship MOL Motivator, registered in the Marshall Islands [1] with a crew of 24, [3] and the 97-metre-long (318 ft) [1] Chinese ship Zhong Xing 2, carrying a cargo of cement with twelve crew. [4] MOL Motivator was travelling from Hong Kong to Yantian, [2] while Zhong Xing 2 was travelling from Hebei to Haikou. [5]
The collision occurred around 2:30 local time on the morning of 5 May, 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) to the southwest of Po Toi Island. [1] Poor visibility has been blamed for the collision, after heavy rain fell through the night, [1] and Hong Kong experienced a "powerful" thunderstorm. [3] Heavy rainfall and lightning may have caused problems with the ships' radars. [3]
A fishing vessel passing by rescued a man in his forties [1] [3] from mainland China; [3] 25 minutes later, [6] he was taken to Ruttonjee Hospital, Wan Chai, where he was treated for minor scratches. [1]
A rescue attempt spanning naval and aerial searching was launched, co-ordinated by the Guangdong Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre. [1] A fixed-wing aeroplane, seven Hong Kong Marine Police vessels, three fireboats, two diving vessels and a helicopter belonging to the Government Flying Service of Hong Kong, [1] more than ten Chinese vessels, [7] and three Chinese helicopters, [8] were sent in search of the missing vessel. The crew of a helicopter observed an oil slick and floating debris, but no survivors. [1] It is considered possible that the ship sank with only one survivor, the other eleven men trapped on board, [1] and they are "feared dead". [8]
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2014 | |
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