Japan’s coast guard is reported to have rescued one man from the livestock carrier that went missing in a storm on Wednesday.
Pictures provided by the coast guard showed a crew member in a lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness, Reuters reported.
A Japanese Navy P-3C surveillance aircraft is said to have spotted the man wearing a life vest and waving while bobbing up and down in the water.
The rescued Filipino crew member, 45-year-old chief officer Sareno Edvarodo, said the 8,400-dwt Gulf Livestock 1 (built 2002) suffered an engine failure before it was hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman was quoted as saying.
When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on life jackets. Edvarodo told the coastguard he jumped into the water and did not see any other crew members before he was rescued.
The ship departed Napier in New Zealand on 14 August with 5,867 cattle and 43 crew members on board, bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China.
The crew comprised 39 people from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two Australians, the coast guard said.
The ship sent a distress call from west of Amami Oshima island in south-western Japan. Strong winds and rains from Typhoon Maysak are said to be hampering rescue efforts.
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is providing consular assistance to the families of the two New Zealanders.
New Zealand animal rights organisation SAFE said the tragedy “demonstrated the risks of the live animal export trade”.
"This is a real crisis, and our thoughts are with the families of the 43 crew who are missing with the ship. But questions remain, including why this trade is allowed to continue,” campaigns manager Marianne Macdonald told Reuters.
Last year, the government launched a review of New Zealand’s live animal export trade, worth around NZD 54m ($37m) in 2019, after thousands of animals being exported from New Zealand and Australia died in transit.
The Gulf Livestock 1 is listed as owned by Hijazi & Ghosheh Group of Jordan, with technical management carried out by Marconsult of Germany.
It was detained in Australia in May last year with seven deficiencies, but the only ground for the detention was related to the ISM code.
The ship is entered with the West of England protection and indemnity club, according to Clarksons.
The livestock shipping industry has been under scrutiny from port state authorities after a series of accidents and wage issues in recent years.
Last November, the 2,100-dwt Queen Hind (built 1980) sank off Romania with more than 14,000 sheep on board. All 22 Syrian crew members were rescued
