Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) releases the final report on the investigation of the Taiwan flag fishing boat "CHUN I NO.6", which involved a crew falling overboard and missing off the coast of Kushiro Port, Hokkaido, Japan.

On July 15th, 2023, a Taiwanese fishing boat named “CHUN I NO.6” with gross tonnage of 1250, the fishing boat number CT8-0150. There were 64 seafarers on board, including 1 Taiwanese captain and 63 crews. At around 0015 (UTC+8), after completing fishing operations, a Filipino crew member fell overboard without wearing a life jacket, approximately 720 nautical miles northeast of Kushiro Port in Japan. Despite a search lasting for 72 hours, the missing crew member was not found.

In accordance with the Transportation Occurrences Investigation Act, and the relevant content of the Casualty Investigation Code of the International Maritime Organization, the TTSB is an independent transportation occurrence investigation agency, and responsible for conducting the investigation. The investigation team also included members from the Maritime and Port Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, and Fishery Agency, Ministry of Agriculture.

Based on the factual information, a crew member of the vessel "CHUN I NO.6" did not wear a life jacket when falling overboard, and after a search of over 72 hours yielded no results. The investigation team could not determine the cause of the crew falling overboard and going missing. This case is classified as a Class 3 report*. 1 safety recommendation has been issued to the relevant organizations and monitored.

This final report was reviewed and approved by the 58th TTSB Board Meeting on January 12, 2024.

The full final report is in Chinese only and available for download at the website: https://www.ttsb.gov.tw

Vivi Yang, Secretariat Office
Tel: +886-2-7727-6217
E-mail: viviy2314@ttsb.gov.tw

Michael GUAN, Investigator-In-Charge
Marine Occurrence Investigation Division
Tel: +886-2-7727-6202
E-mail: michael@ttsb.gov.tw

*Class 3 report: Due to insufficient factual information such as physical evidence and witness testimony, or the loss or inability to obtain evidence, it is impossible to collect, analyze, and investigate the occurrence.