A scene of rescue operations




MOL Car Carrier Rescues Drifting Fishermen

Five Castaways Rescued Safely Near Malay Peninsula in South China Sea

Tokyo - February 04, 2015

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi Muto) today announced that on Sunday, February 1, 2015, the MOL-operated car carrier Astral Ace found drifting castaways near Malay Peninsula in the South China Sea, and was able to safely rescue two Malaysian and three Indonesian fishermen.

The rescue went as follows:

• At 11:25 (all times were in local time) on February 1, 2015, the Astral Ace, sailing from the port of Singapore, to Laem Chabang Port in Thailand, found drifting fishermen – their fishing boat was half sunk, and immediately began the rescue operations.

• At 12:15 of the same day, five drifting fishermen were rescued.

• At 16:10 of the same day, the members were turned over to the Malaysian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center.



Outline of Astral Ace
Length: 174.98 m
Gross tonnage: 36,615 MT
Crew: 22 Filipinos
Registry: Panama

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. press release