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Engineer lost his life in tug fire
On Oct 30, 2026, at 8.15 a.m., the Japanese Coast Guard was notified of a fire aboard the 'Cebu Hope' (ex 'Shojin Maru'), with six Japanese crew members on board, approximately 20 nautical miles north of Miyako Island in the Okinawa Prefecture. The Japan Coast Guard launched an SAR operation. An aircraft from the base in Ishigaki was able to locate a life raft 300 metres from the burning 'Cebu Hope' at 9.30 a.m. A helicopter from the same base hoisted the raft’s five occupants between 10:00 a.m. and 10:24 a.m. One crew member, the 65 year old chief engineer, was initally missing. Patrol vessels from Miyakojima and Naha responded with special rescue personnel from Haneda, three of whom boarded the tug at around 3:50 p.m. They found the engineer unconscious in the engine room with severe burns at about 4:10 p.m. Japan time. The Miyakojima Coast Guard Office confirmed his death on scene. The fire was declared out at about 5:20 p.m. The tug had just been transferred to the Cebu Asiatic Shipping & Port Services, affiliated with the Philippines' THI, and renamed 'Cebu Hope'. It had departed from Juroku Port on Oct 16 and was on its delivery voyage to the Philippines. The tug berthed at Hirara Port on Miyako Island on the morning of Oct 31. The group relayed the coast guard's assessment that there was no risk of an oil spill. Report with photos: https://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/entry-5582658.html
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