Six Crew Members Still Missing After Four Nights of Search for Capsized Busan Tugboat

Six crew members remained missing after a fourth night of searching for the tugboat TNS Catcher, which capsized off Busan on September 2.

The Korea Coast Guard and other agencies searched the accident area from 7 p.m. on September 5 but found neither the missing sailors nor floating belongings. They deployed six vessels weighing 1,000 tons and searched an area 65 kilometers wide and 31 kilometers long, taking into account the tugboat’s sinking point and predicted drift patterns.

Bad weather continued to hamper the operation. A storm warning remained in effect off Busan through September 8, with waves reaching 2 to 2.5 meters and strong northeast winds blowing at 12 to 14 meters per second.

The Coast Guard’s Central Maritime Special Rescue Team also searched the hull of a container ship moored at Jaseongdae Pier. The TNS Catcher capsized while towing that ship, and investigators searched beneath its hull on the possibility that crew belongings might be there. They found nothing unusual.

The accident occurred at 1:29 p.m. on September 2, about 9 kilometers east of Oryukdo off Yongho-dong in Busan’s Nam District. The tug sank completely at a depth of 87 meters at 3:27 p.m. Eight people were aboard: six South Koreans and two Indonesians. One Indonesian sailor, aged 53, was rescued by the container ship. A 57-year-old South Korean sailor was found unconscious in the wheelhouse and later died in hospital. The captain, chief officer, chief engineer, first engineer, second engineer and first engine-room rating remain missing.