Crew Member Missing After Purse Seiner Capsizes In Pacific Ocean

A Colombian-flagged purse seiner, Sea Gem, capsized in the Pacific Ocean on June 28, following a suspected explosion. All the crew members left the sinking vessel and shifted into lifeboats except for one person named Filiberto Cevallos who is still missing. Cevallos was stuck in the cabin when the accident took place, reported Ecuadorian news sites. A US ship was the first to arrive at the accident scene, which was close to American Samoa, and rescue the fishermen. A spokesperson for Manta Port said relatives of the crew members have been in touch with authorities and the survivors would soon arrive at the port. The photos of the shipwreck were shared on several social media sites over the weekend.

Sea Gem is a 59 m long vessel with a 1,468 gross tonnage and operates in the IATTC convention area. The seiner is registered under the company Sierralta Internacional, S.A. in Cartagena, Colombia. The purse seiner was built in 1976 by the US shipyard J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding.