11 Missing as Cargo Ship Sinks Off Hong Kong

The search is on for 11 people missing after a Chinese cargo vessel sank off the southeastern extremities of Hong Kong early on Monday morning following a collision with a large container ship.

A 47-year-old crew member was rescued by fishing boats nearby and is being treated for minor injuries, according to a police spokeswoman.

The Zhong Xing 2 was apparently sailing from Hebei province with a dozen crew and a cargo of cement. The 300-m container ship MOL Motivator, which is registered in the Marshall Islands, was departing Hong Kong for Yantian in Guangdong at the time of the crash.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s busiest ports, and visibility is frequently poor at this time of year because of fog. According to the city’s Marine Department, 171 people were injured or killed in shipping accidents around the territory last year, down from 232 in 2012 but up from 78 people in 2010.

In 2008, the Ukrainian tugboat Naftogaz-67 collided with a Chinese cargo vessel, the Yao Hai, in local waters with a total loss of 18 lives.