Captain of sunken Hong Kong fishing boat arrested for endangering safety of others at sea as crew member remains missing
- Police arrest 58-year-old captain of Hong Kong-registered vessel as air and sea search for the missing seaman entered third consecutive day
- According to source, police are searching for owner as boat was suspected of being used to smuggle frozen meat into mainland China at time of sinking
The captain of a fishing boat which sank off Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday, leaving one of seven crew members missing, has been arrested for endangering the safety of others at sea.
The arrest of the 58-year-old captain on Monday came as an air and sea search for the missing seaman entered its third consecutive day. Police said that as of 6pm, the Hong Kong resident, who was in his 20s, had not been found.
On Monday night, police were searching for the owner of the 20-metre (65-foot) Hong Kong-registered fishing boat in connection with the case, which happened soon after 6pm on Saturday.
“Police want to contact the owner because the boat was suspected to have been used to smuggle about 3,000 boxes of frozen meat into mainland China from the city at the time of the incident,” a source said.
The wooden boat took in water and later sank about 1.8km (1.1 miles) off the construction site for the airport’s third runway, according to police.
The eight men – all Hong Kong residents – fell overboard in the incident. The skipper and six of his crew were rescued.
One survivor, aged 24, suffered minor leg injuries and was taken to North Lantau Hospital in Tung Chung for treatment.
On Monday, police arrested the captain for endangering the safety of others at sea. The offence carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a fine of HK$200,000 (US$25,741).
The police source said the captain had a responsibility to ensure the safety of his crew members but investigations showed there were no life jackets on board the vessel at the time of the incident.
He said police were still investigating the cause of the incident.
On Monday evening, the suspect was being held for questioning and had not been charged. Detectives from the Marine regional crime unit were handling the case.
