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Six Crew Willingly Jump Off Taiwan Ship

Published Oct 13, 2014 10:12 AM by The Maritime Executive

Six Vietnamese mariners have reportedly jumped off a Taiwanese fisheries ship in the Tsuruga Strait off southern Hokkaido, according to the Japanese Coast Guard. Ships and aircraft scoured the area over the weekend to no avail.

A body was found floating about 5 kilometers off a nearby village on Sunday afternoon. The body appears to be that of a man, but it remains unclear whether it is one of the six men suspected of jumping from the 2,944-ton Taiwan-registered ship on Saturday evening.

Another crewmember from the ship reported seeing the six sailors - aged from 18 to 23 - jump into the strait between Aomori and Hokkaido without life vests at around 8:50 p.m.  on Saturday.

No abnormalities or trouble on the ship have been reported, The Japan Times stated.