Coast Guard seeks Indonesian assistance to look for missing fishing boat

The Philippine Coast Guard has sought assistance from its Indonesian counterparts to look for a fishing boat that went missing off Mindanao since Sunday. Fishing boat Kaio Maru No. 5, with one Japanese national and eight Filipino crewmembers, lost contact with its base while en route to Palau Island on Sunday. An article posted Tuesday evening on the Coast Guard website said that a Japanese national, identified as Ted Okubo, operations manager of Sanko Pacific Tuna Inc. based in Toril, Davao City, reported the incident. "The Coast Guard also made coordination with Indonesian authorities regarding the incident and requested search and rescue operations if necessary," the Coast Guard said. Initial investigation showed F/B Kaio Maru No. 5 (ON2-1018) left Davao Fish Port Complex Wharf last July 16 at 7 a.m. Its last recorded contact was Saturday, while about 60 nautical miles northeast of Talaud Island, Indonesia. Personnel of Coast Guard Station Davao issued Notice to Mariners (NOTAM) to all vessels in the area to be on the lookout for the vessel and render necessary assistance if seen. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV