South Korean cargo ship goes missing near Uruguay: Ministry

A cargo ship being used by a South Korean shipping company has gone missing in seas off Uruguay with 24 crew members, Seoul says.

The Stella Daisy with eight South Korean and 16 Filipino crew members on board went out of contact late Friday, South Korea time, the South Korean Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday.

It added that the ship disappeared after one of the crew members sent a text message to the company saying the ship was taking on water.

“It remains unknown whether the crew escaped to safety," a ministry official was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.

A search operation is underway by the Uruguayan coast guards and a commercial vessel that had been in neighboring waters.

The Stella Daisy had reportedly departed from a port in Brazil on March 26.

The ship is a large ore carrier (VLOC) that can carry more than 260,000 tonnes.

SS