Crew of Sinking 500-foot Ship Rescued Near Guam

Twenty-four crew members are safe after abandoning ship approximately 440 miles west of Guam Monday. Map courtesy US Coast Guard, Hawaiʻi.

By Maui Now Staff

The US Coast Guard reports that 24 crew members are safe this morning after abandoning a sinking ship, the Rich Forest, about 440 miles west of Guam.

The 500 foot cargo ship was transporting logs en route to China when it began taking on 160-tons of water per hour, according to the US Coast Guard.

Coast Guard watchstanders in Guam identified four merchant vessels to provide assistance under the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System.

Another vessel completed the rescue of all survivors from life rafts and will continue on to its next port call in Japan.

The Coast Guard is warning mariners that the sinking vessel is still adrift in the Pacific, and could pose a hazard to navigation.