The Japanese Embassy in Manila on Thursday denied reports that the Japanese Coast Guard has already halted the search and rescue operation on the missing crew members of Gulf Livestock 1.
In a statement, the Japanese Embassy said the report that the search and rescue operation of the missing crew members has been called off is “not correct.”
“The Embassy of Japan can hereby verify that Japan Coast Guard is still conducting search and rescue operation,” the Embassy said.
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda also tweeted that the search and rescue is continuing even as he conveyed his thoughts to the families and loved ones of the missing crew members.
“Japan Coast Guard is still continuing Search and Rescue Operation on the Gulf Livestock 1 case. We pray for additional rescues, as many as possible. My thoughts are with the missing crew, their families, and people of the Philippines,” Haneda said.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Japanese Coast Guard has decided to “transition from full-time search operations” to “usual patrol arrangements” following days of unsuccessful recovery of survivors.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo and the Philippine Consulate General in Osaka, wishes to report that the Japanese Coast Guard has decided to transition from full-time search operations for the crew of the missing vessel Gulf Livestock-1 to its usual patrol arrangements as they have found no trace of the ship since 05 September 2020,” the foreign affairs office said in a statement sent to reporters.
The Panamanian-flagged vessel was carrying 43 crew members and nearly 6,000 live cows when it issued a distress signal at the early hours of September 2, 2020 while100 nautical miles west of Amami Archipelago in Kagoshima, Japan.
Of the 43 missing crew, 39 were Filipinos, 2 New Zealand, 1 Australian and 1 Singaporean.
So far, two Filipino crewmen were rescued alive – Eduardo Sareno, 45, and Jay-Nel Rosales, 30. A third person, also later identified as a Filipino national, was declared dead shortly after he was pulled off the water “unconscious” on September 5, 2020.
Last week, the Japanese Coast Guard was prompted to halt its rescue operations as Typhoon Haishen barreled towards the area where the cattle freighter was reported missing.
Sareno, the first survivor to be rescued, told probers that one of the ship's engines had stalled and the vessel was overturned by a strong wave before eventually going down.
Rosales, the ship’s deckhand, was found in a life raft several kilometers from a remote island in southwestern Japan.
"The DFA joins the families and loved ones in continued prayers for the missing seafarers," the department said.