An unoccupied Chinese cargo ship sank in waters off South Korea's southwestern coast Wednesday, after drifting from a port in China's northeastern province of Shandong for nearly two weeks, the Coast Guard said, according to Yonhap.
The Mokpo Coast Guard said it found no crew members during its search of the submerged 200-ton ship at around 8:09 a.m., prompting officials to beef up security by setting up a task force to search nearby areas for possible signs of illegal entry.
The ship sank in waters off Gageo Island, 422 kilometers southwest of Seoul, about an hour later.
The Coast Guard concluded that there is no evidence of attempted illegal entry, citing an account from the Chinese ship owner that the ship had disappeared from a port in Weihai in Shandong Province, where it was anchored, on Nov. 17 and he reported the missing ship to the Chinese Coast Guard a day later.
"We confirmed the ship was adrift from China with no crew on board," the Mokpo Coast Guard said after sharing information with the Chinese Coast Guard and the Chinese ship owner through documents obtained from the ship.
The Chinese ship owner confirmed that the sunken ship was indeed his own after seeing photos of the ill-fated ship, according to the Mokpo Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard said the Chinese ship could have reached Gageo Island from a port in Weihai through ocean currents without engine power, citing its own simulation.