Pinoy Missing

Filipino sailor missing after ship sinks in Japanese waters

Agence France-Presse

TOKYO -- A Filipino sailor was missing in Japanese waters Wednesday after his cargo ship hit another vessel and sank, the coast guard said.

Fourteen other crewmembers from Cyprus-registered Asia Concerto were rescued after it crashed off the coast of western Yamaguchi prefecture at 6:00 a.m., a coast guard spokesman said.

"We are searching for a Filipino sailor who went missing in the accident," the spokesman said, adding that the Asia Concerto was leaking oil and other fuel.

The 4,458-ton ship had collided with the 4,314-ton South Korean-registered Pine Pia, whose 15 crewmen were safe and had rescued the sailors from the sunken vessel.

The Japan Coast Guard dispatched nine vessels and one helicopter to search for the missing sailor in the area, between the main Japanese island of Honshu and the smaller island of Shikoku.

The Asia Concerto was carrying about 6,000 tons of metal coils, Jiji Press reported.

The coast guard said it would investigate the cause of the accident. The sea had been relatively calm at the time, it said.