Fishing group urges gov't to verify, seek help after SOS message found

Taipei, July 25 (CNA) A fishery association on Friday urged the government to verify a source and seek assistance for a search after a message in a bottle related to a missing Taiwanese fishing boat captain was recently found off the coast of Ireland.

Suao Fishermen's Association Secretary-General Chen Chun-sheng (陳春生) told CNA via telephone that the family of the missing captain, surnamed Lee (李), has been informed of the discovery.

According to a report published Thursday by Nanyang Siang Pau, a Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper, the message in a bottle was recently discovered by two men named Matt and Chris while strolling on a beach on Inisheer Island off the coast of Ireland.

The message, written mostly in Bahasa Indonesian, reads in English as "Please send help! We've been lost since Dec. 20. There are 3 of us here. We don't know the name of this island. Wounded. Help Hello SOS. Lee. Yong Yu Sing 18"

If the source is verified, Chen expressed hope that the authorities will seek assistance from international organizations to carry out a search.

The Su'ao-registered Yong Yu Sing No. 18 was a 99-ton tuna longliner that was reported to the National Rescue Command as missing by its owner on Jan. 1, 2021 after the owner had lost contact with the captain on Dec. 30, 2020.

The center promptly sought assistance from U.S. authorities, and an American fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft found the missing boat some 606 nautical miles northeast of Midway Atoll on Jan. 2.

Observers on the plane at the time noticed that the windows of the captain's cabin were smashed open, while the boat appeared to be drifting, and there were no signs of the Taiwanese captain or his nine Indonesian crewmen.

When the boat's owner lost contact with the Yong Yu Sing No. 18, it was reported to be some 527 nautical miles northeast of Midway Atoll.

No distress calls were received from the boat before its disappearance, according to the association.

The vessel was later towed back to Su'ao for investigation by prosecutors. In 2021, they said no evidence of criminal activity was found on board, and concluded that the incident was likely caused by severe weather.