Naha, Japan: All 64 Chinese crew members of a cargo ship were rescued Sunday after the vessel caught fire in waters near Okinawa, the Japan Coast Guard said.
The coast guard dispatched aircraft and patrol vessels last night after it was informed by Taiwanese authorities that a fire had broken out on the 12,703-ton Ming Yang in waters about 150 kilometers southeast of the main island of Okinawa.
The coast guard said it transferred all of the crew members aboard the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines-registered ship to its patrol boat, Motobu, around 7 am. Three of them sustained minor injuries.
Smoke was spotted at the stern of the cargo ship, according to the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture.
The regional coast guard headquarters has recently been kept busy monitoring the activities of Chinese surveillance vessels near the Senkaku Islands in the wake of
Tokyo`s bitter dispute with Beijing over their sovereignty.(KYODO)
PTI
