Rescuers are continuing to search for survives after a Dubai-owned supramax sank in the Philippines Sea today in heavy weather with 29 crew members onboard.
The 57,300-dwt Emerald Star (2010) was laden with a nickel ore cargo from Indonesia.
Initial media reports indicated that 15 crew members have been rescued by other merchant vessels responding to the incident, with two still missing.
Now, TradeWinds understands a larger crew was on board the vessel and 14 seafarers remain unaccounted for at this stage.
Responders are said to have included Densa Shipping's 180,500-dwt Densa Cobra (built 2011).
The difficult nickel ore cargo with its dangers of liquefaction has been blamed for a series of deadly ship losses over several years but such incidents had become rarer after increased attention to the issue by insurers, flag states, and classification societies.
Stellar Ocean Transport is linked to Tradeline LLC and its majority shareholder Majid Al Ghurair.
At mid-morning Dubai time, Stellar's office phone line played a recorded message asking to call during working hours.
The Hong Kong-flagged ship was said to be trading for Shanghai-based nickel ore specialist operator Cos Marine Co, also known as Couple Ocean Shipping.
Reached by phone, a Cos Marine chartering official said he had no information and did not confirm or deny that Cos Marine was the ship's charterer.
Some Chinese sources say Cos Marine subchartered the ship from affiliates of the steelmaker Shagang Group, which has it on time charter.
However, sources close to Shagang tell TradeWinds that company has no connection to Emerald Star and never charters ships for nickel ore business.
