Ship sinks in Marshall Islands

Posted: 01 January 2011 0928 hrs MAJURO, Marshall Islands: Twenty people were missing after a supply ship sank about 80 miles (130 kilometres) from the Marshall Islands capital Majuro early Saturday, officials said. The 90-foot Jeljelet Ae was eight hours into a 200-mile open ocean journey to outlying Likiep Atoll when the crew radioed "they were in trouble," said Marshall Islands Shipping Corporation chairman Alson Kelen. The vessel, carrying heavy equipment and construction material to workers building a school on the atoll, sank about 4:00am (1600 GMT Friday), he added. US embassy deputy chief of mission Eric Watnik confirmed the US Coast Guard in Honolulu has responded to a call for assistance and a C-130 search plane has been directed to the area, which lies around 2,000 nautical miles from Hawaii. "They had two life rafts on board and enough life jackets for everyone," said Kelen, speaking by phone from a speedboat heading out to search for survivors. "They gave us good location coordinates before communication was cut off," Kelen  said. "They are about 80 miles north of Majuro." An emergency locator beacon was also transmitting details of the location of the sinking. A Marshall Islands government patrol vessel left Majuro at daybreak to launch a sea  search and a second vessel was to leave later in the day. The cause of the sinking was not immediately known, but Marshall Islands Shipping  Corporation officials have warned the four vessels that service the remote outer islands  were overdue for maintenance. However, attempts in the past two years for the government to allocate funds for the  vessels to be overhauled have been unsuccessful. This is the third search in the Marshall Islands involving US Coast Guard aircraft in  the past two months. -AFP/wk Articles: Marshall Islands: 20 Missing after Supply Ship Sinks Contributed by YokweOnline on Dec 31, 2010 - 08:56 PM A supply ship in the the Marshall Islands with twenty aboard sank early Saturday. The 90-foot Jeljelet Ae was about eight hours into its trip to Likiep Atoll, reported the AFP. The crew radioed for help about 80 miles north of Majuro. The government’s patrol boats left early this morning to search for survivors.  U.S. Coast Guard responded to the call for help and a C-130 search plane has been directed to the area. Twenty Missing after Ship Sinks off Marshall Islands  Supply Ship Sinks off Marshall Islands  The vessel carrying heavy equipment and supplies for school building construction on the outer island which is about 200 miles from Majuro. No cause for the sinking as yet been reported. “Marshall Islands Shipping Corporation officials have warned the four vessels that service the remote outer islands were overdue for maintenance,” stated the news out of Majuro on New Year’s Day. Yokwe Online will be updating this article as information becomes available. -Yokwe Online, December 31, 2010 20 missing as ship sinks off Marshall Is Updated: 13:16, Saturday January 1, 2011 Twenty people are missing after a supply ship sank about 130 kilometres from the Marshall Islands capital Majuro early on Saturday, officials said. The 27 metre Jeljelet Ae was eight hours into a 320km open ocean journey to  outlying Likiep Atoll when the crew radioed 'they were in trouble,' said Marshall Islands Shipping Corporation  chairman Alson Kelen. The vessel, carrying heavy equipment and construction materials to workers building  a school on the atoll, sank about 4am local time on Friday, he added.  US embassy deputy chief of mission Eric Watnik confirmed the US Coast Guard in Honolulu has responded  to a call for assistance and a C-130 search plane has been directed to the area, which lies 3,00 kilometres from  Hawaii.'They had two liferafts on board and enough lifejackets for everyone,' said Kelen, speaking by phone  from a speedboat heading out to search for survivors. 'They gave us good location coordinates before  communication was cut off,' Kelen said. 'They are about 80 miles north of Majuro.'  An emergency locator beacon was also transmitting details of the location of the sinking. The cause of  the sinking was not immediately known, but Marshall Islands Shipping Corporation officials have warned  the four vessels that service the remote outer islands were overdue for maintenance.