MSC IKARIA VI
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Container ship still in Busan for investigations
Raids were carried out in the working spaces of at least six companies, including a shipping company, in order to seize documents and find important information relating to the capsizing of the 'TNS Catcher'. The search for the missing crew members remained ongoing, after it had been suspended for a few days due to bad weather conditions. Both the Navy and the Coast Guard wdre looking for the seafarers, covering a wider area. On Sep 8, the Coast Guard deployed 15 ships and seven aircraft to search an area of 19 miles, along with 48 personnel from the Busan and Ulsan Coast Guards, to use thermal observation equipment to be able to locate the missing crew even in the dark. The Coast Guard, which sent 41 investigation experts to the team, has not revealed what they were searching for or how the companies were related to the case. The Coast Guard also retrieved the video footage of the incident, which shows the tug was pulling the 'MSC Ikaria VI' from its starboard side, after which it turned and lost stability. The angle of the turn, the speed of the tug and the position of the tug in relation to the container ship will be taken into consideration to understand what caused it to roll over and sink. The investigators decided that they would deploy remotely operated vehicles to thoroughly search the wreck once visibility has. improved. The container ship had to remain at the Hutchison Container Terminals in Busan for investigations for the time being.
Tug accident may have been caused by towline tension
The 'TNS Catcher' capsized, while working along with two other tugs to manoeuvre the 'MSC Ikaria VI'. The investigators believed that the 'TNS Catcher' may have been overwhelmed by towline tension while changing course. Two tugs were pulling from either side of the containership’s bow, while a third pushed from the stern. The 'TNS Catcher', positioned on the starboard side bow, was turning to starboard when it rolled sharply to port and capsized. The vessel’s speed and timing may have been mismatched during the manoeuvre, although it has not yet been confirmed whether the tug became snagged on the towline. A collision with the containership has been ruled out. CCTV footage from the containership showed that the 'TNS Catcher' commenced the turn before rolling over. The tug later sank at a water depth of around 87 m, 6.5 km east of Songjeong Port. Poor underwater visibility has hampered a Navy ROV search. The Coastguard has expanded the search area for the missing crew members to 66 kilometres by 40 kilometres, deploying 24 vessels and seven aircraft. The containership was moored at the Hutchison Korea Terminals (HKT) as of Sep 3.
Tug capsized while assisting container ship
The tug 'TNS Catcher' (IMO: 9412153) capsized approximately nine kilometres southeast of Oryukdo, Busan, on Sep 2, 2026, leaving one crew member dead and six others missing. The tug had six South Korean and two Indonesian crew members on board, overturned at 1:29 p.m. after setting off from Busan Port in the morning to tow the 'MSC Ikaria IV'. An Indonesian crew member in his 50s was rescued by the freighter crew, while the Coast Guard rescued a South Korean crew member in his 50s, who was found unconscious. Coast Guard officials rushed the South Korean crew member to a hospital, but he was later pronounced dead. The Coast Guard deployed 13 vessels for the SAR efforts, and the Navy deployed the ROKS 'Gwangyang', a salvage and rescue ship, and other vessels and aircraft for the operation. It launched an overnight search for the missing crew members at 7 p.m., mobilising a total of 19 vessels from the Coast Guard, the Navy, the Busan metropolitan government and fire authorities. The search efforts faced difficulties due to waves reaching up to 1.5 metres in height and wind speeds of up to six meters per second. The tug, which initally drifted bottom up, completely sank at 3:27 p.m., about two hours after capsizing. The exact cause of the accident remained under investigation. The Coast Guard has set up an investigation team. Reports with photos: https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260902006453315 https://www.chosun.com/english/national-en/2026/09/02/5QXZHFW3KZGZNP3CWXBAI5EZ34/ https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-tugboat-sinks-busan-crew-search-842629f4f2721a1b71d8e7737bfc6ecc https://en.sedaily.com/society/2026/09/02/tugboat-capsizes-off-busan-killing-one-and-leaving-six
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