State media reports that a Chinese fishing boat operating in the Indian Ocean has sunk and all 39 crew members on board are missing. Broadcaster CCTV said the sinking happened around 3 a.m. Tuesday. The crew includes 17 from China, 17 from Indonesia and five from the Philippines, the report said. Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang have ordered Chinese diplomats abroad, as well as the agriculture and transportation ministries, to assist in the search for survivors. The Lupenglaiyuanyu No. 8 was based in the eastern province of Shandong, operated by the Penglaiyingyu Co. Ltd. Also read: Cement-laden vessel sinks in Barishal river China is believed to operate the world’s largest fishing fleet. Many of them stay at sea for months or even years at a time, supported by Chinese state maritime security agencies and a broad network of support vessels. No word was given on the cause of the sinking. Recovery efforts are underway in Myanmar and Bangladesh after a powerful cyclone smashed into their coastlines, causing widespread destruction and at least 21 deaths, with hundreds of others believed missing. Chinese squid fishing ships have been documented using wide nets to illegally catch already overfished tuna as part of a surge in unregulated activity in the Indian Ocean, according to a report released in 2021 by a Norway-based watchdog group that highlights growing concerns about the lack of international cooperation to protect marine species on the high seas. The U.S. Coast Guard was also involved in a dangerous confrontation with Chinese vessels not far from Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands in 2022 during a mission to inspect the vessels for any signs of illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.

Twelve crew of a lighter vessel who went missing after a lighter vessel sank in the Bay of Bengal near Bhashanchar of Noakhali district were rescued alive on Saturday. “On information, a rescue ship of Bangladesh Navy was sent immediately to the spot but some private ships nearby had rescued the crew before it reached,” said Abdul Momin, media officer of the Navy told UNB. Also read: Lighter vessel sinks in Bay: 12 crew go missing ‘Sajal-Tanmoy-2’  a lighter vessel carrying coal sank in the Bay of Bengal, 12 nautical miles off the southern area of Bhashanchar around 9:30 am. Also read: Lighter vessel sinks near Ctg port: Another body recovered

Five crew members went missing after a coal-laden bulkhead ship capsized in the Poshur river near Mongla Port following a collision with a merchant vessel on Monday night. The accident occurred around 9.30pm near the port's Harbaria-9 point as Dhaka-bound MV Fardin-1 was departing after loading coal from MV Alina-B. The collision with MV Handipark left at least seven crew members missing, officials said. Read:Explosion at Bashundhara LPG factory in Mongla; 6 suffer burns Though two of the crew members managed to swim to safety, others went missing. The Bangladesh Coast Guard said that search operation continued till 12pm on Tuesday. According to the harbour department of Mongla Port, the bulkhead partially sank. Md Lokman Hossain, supervisor of Messrs T Hawk that owned the bulkhead, said they had apprised the Bangladesh Coast Guard and the Navy, as well as the port authorities of the accident last night only. "The sunken bulkhead was carrying 350 metric tonnes of coal at the time of the accident," he added. Read: Another lighter vessel sinks near Mongla port Meanwhile, Md Fakar Uddin, Harbour Master of the Mongla Port Authority, said bulkhead vessels with one hedge are prohibited from transporting coal.  "They can carry only sand. The Directorate General of Shipping has been asked to take strict action against the bulkhead owners," he added.

The last group of about 130 crew members got off the Diamond Princess on Sunday, vacating the contaminated cruise ship and ending Japan's much criticized quarantine that left more than one fifth of the ship's original population infected with the new virus.