BL reported that a cargo ship began to list off the Mangalore coast on Saturday, forcing the crew to abandon ship and all 18 members of the crew, including five officers, are reported safe.

Although there were initial apprehensions about the whereabouts of the 13 seamen who got into a lifeboat, they managed to reach the shore and were taken to hospital. The five officers, including the captain, were the last to abandon ship and were brought to shore in a Coast Guard vessel.

What caused the ship to list was not immediately known. The Chinese ship MV Asian Forest left the New Mangalore Port on Friday morning with 13,000 tonnes of iron ore. Singapore was its next port of call on its way to Hong Kong.

Mr. Jha said the crew members would be questioned jointly by the Coast Guard, the administration and the police.

This is the third cargo ship to flounder after setting sail from the port in the past three years. On the two previous occasions, one ship sank and another, which began to list, managed to right itself and continue its journey.

(Sourced from BL)