29 Nov 2017

Absconding men probably desperate to leave vessel

2:25 pm on 29 November 2017

The Maritime Union says three Vietnamese crewman who jumped ship from a Korean fishing trawler were probably desperate to get away.

The three men disappeared when the Korean vessel, Southern Ocean, docked in Bluff Harbour with a dead crewman aboard.

The secretary of the Maritime Union in Bluff, Ray Fife, said the men must have swum from the Bluff harbour island to escape.

"We don't know why they jumped overboard, but normally there's a reason behind it, whether it be the working conditions or bullying. The trawler has a mixture of Chinese and Vietnamese with Korean officers, which is not a very good mix at all," he said.

The police say the Chinese man died when a wave went over the deck, but they are investigating the circumstances.

An Indonesian crew member was also injured.

The police say the three Vietnamese abscondees were detained this morning after a member of the public tipped them off that they were in a cafe in the Invercargill suburb of Clifton.

They will be handed over to Immigration New Zealand.

Mr Fife said he will try to make contact with the crewmen to find out what happened.