Hua Chun 19
The 90 meter long cargo vessel Hua Chun 19 capsized and sank in the Yellow Sea off Qingdao, China. The Hua Chun 19 had departed from Qingdao with 4000 tons of steel bound for Guangdong. Some 70 miles from Qingdao, the vessel suffered a cargo shift causing the vessel to capsize and sink in just a few minutes. Authorities launched a search and rescue operation and pulled 5 survivors from the water. All had suffered hypothermia and were taken to hospital. Authorities also pulled 2 bodies of crewmen who had drowned. Four additional men were still reported missing. An oil sheen was spotted near the sinking. Authorities dispatched a pollution control vessel to the scene.