UPDATE 10-More than 40 crew missing after cattle ship capsizes in storm off Japan

* Gulf Livestock 1 sent distress signal from East China Sea
* Typhoon Maysak lashed region with heavy seas, strong winds
* Ship with 43 crew carrying almost 6,000 cattle to China
* Rescued crew member says engine failed, wave capsized ship

(Adds comment from ship owner in par 15)
By Junko Fujita and Praveen Menon
TOKYO/WELLINGTON, Sept 3 (Reuters) - More than 40 crew
members were missing after a ship carrying cattle from New
Zealand to China capsized in stormy weather in the East China
Sea, the Japanese coastguard said on Thursday.
A lone crew member from the Gulf Livestock 1 had been
rescued so far. Three vessels, four airplanes and two divers
were taking part in the search, the coastguard said.
The ship, with a cargo of nearly 6,000 cattle, sent a
distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in
southwestern Japan on Wednesday as Typhoon Maysak lashed the
area with strong winds and heavy seas.
Sareno Edvarodo, a 45-year-old chief officer from the
Philippines, was rescued on Wednesday night, Japan's coastguard
said. By Thursday evening, he was still the only person rescued
so far, a coastguard official said, adding the bodies of some
cattle had been recovered.
The crew of 43 was made up of 39 people from the
Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, the
coastguard said.
According to Edvarodo, the ship lost an engine before it was
hit by a wave and capsized, a coastguard spokeswoman said.
When the ship capsized, crew were instructed to put on
lifejackets. Edvarodo told the coastguard he jumped into the
water and did not see any other crew members before he was
rescued.
Pictures provided by the coastguard showed a person in a
lifejacket being hauled from choppy seas in darkness.
The Philippines government said it was coordinating with the
Japanese coastguard in the search.
Typhoon Maysak made landfall in South Korea on Thursday,
bringing lashing winds, and at least two people were killed in
the southern city of Busan. Another storm, Typhoon Haishen, was
brewing south of Japan and is expected to hit the Korean coast
on Sunday or Monday. CATTLE EXPORT IN SPOTLIGHT
The Gulf Livestock 1 departed Napier in New Zealand on Aug.
14 with a cargo of 5,867 cattle bound for the Port of Jingtang
in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17
days, New Zealand foreign ministry officials told Reuters.
The 139-metre (450-foot), Panamanian-flagged vessel was
built in 2002. UAE-based Gulf Navigation issued a statement
saying Gulf Livestock 1 was their vessel.
"Our hearts go out to those onboard and their families at
this time," a Gulf Navigation spokesman said. "We also express
deep regret for the sad loss of the livestock on board. We are
monitoring the situation closely and working closely with those
involved in rescue efforts. We pray that there are other
survivors."
The young cows were exported by Australia-headquartered
Australasian Global Exports, which specialises in live animal
exports and owns quarantine facilities in China.
The cows were worth around 20,000 yuan each, said a manager
at AGE's subsidiary Beijing Muhuayuan International Trade Co
Ltd.
New Zealand animal rights organisation SAFE said the
disaster showed the risks of the live animal export trade.
"These cows should never have been at sea," said campaigns
manager Marianne Macdonald.
"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."
China has imported more than 46,000 head of cattle from New
Zealand so far this year, according to data from China's
customs, mostly to stock the country's expanding dairy farms.
Last year, New Zealand launched a review of its live export
trade, worth around NZ$54 million ($37 million) in 2019, after
thousands of animals being exported from New Zealand and
Australia died in transit.
New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said it
had temporarily suspended live cattle export applications after
the Gulf Livestock 1 went missing.

($1 = 1.4775 New Zealand dollars)

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Path of the Gulf Livestock 1 livestock carrier https://tmsnrt.rs/3by2eRP
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