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Nearly a week after the loss of a tugboat while working a containership off the Port of Busan, the Coast Guard raided the offices of multiple companies in the ongoing investigation. The search for six crewmembers resumed after bad weather had limited the efforts, with both the Coast Guard and Navy working a broad search area.
The Busan Coast Guard reports it went to the offices of six companies and a shipping association, as well as inspecting the containership involved in the incident. They reported a “search and seizure” at the offices but did not say what type of information they might have been looking for and how the other companies were related to the incident.
The tug TNS Catcher, built in 2007 and 444 gross tons, was one of three assigned on September 2 to assist in maneuvering the containership MSC Ikaria VI (67,164 dwt). The tug was 34 meters (110 feet) in length with a crew of eight. One crewmember, the cook, was able to scramble over the side and climb on top of the tug after it capsized. The crew on the containership spotted him and lowered a ladder. The body of a second crewmember was recovered from the water and was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. The other six aboard remain missing.
The Coast Guard reports it deployed a team of 41 investigators to search for information. It has position data and the AIS and will be reviewing the voice data recorder and other information. It also obtained CCTV images of the incident.
FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE HERE: maritime-executive.com
