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Cristina Chi - Philstar.com
January 23, 2026 | 2:46pm
China Coast Guard immediately dispatched two vessels to the site for search and rescue, Jan. 23, 2025.
Chinese Embassy Manila via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — Two Filipino sailors have died and one is critically injured after a Singapore-flagged cargo vessel capsized in the South China Sea Friday, January 23, with an estimated four crew members still missing.
The M/V Devon Bay, carrying 21 Filipino sailors and a cargo of iron ore, sank in the waters that fall within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone but outside its territorial sea.
Philippine and Chinese coast guards have mounted separate search and rescue operations, with China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels being the first on the scene after being informed by a nearby maritime rescue center.
As of 12:30 p.m. Friday, 17 crew members had been rescued, according to numbers in a report shared by the Chinese Embassy in Manila. Fourteen were identified to be in stable condition, with one receiving emergency treatment.
The embassy later shared a video showing CCG personnel pulling up Filipino sailors onto their ship.
Distress and response
The Chinese Embassy said two CCG vessels were swiftly dispatched to the area after being alerted by the maritime rescue center in Sansha City, Hainan province early Friday morning.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it received a distress report around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, January 22, indicating the cargo vessel was listing at 25 degrees, with its last known position at 141 nautical miles west of Sabangan Point in Pangasinan province.
The ship had departed from Gutalac in Zamboanga del Sur province and was bound for Yangjiang, China.
The Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre later informed Philippine authorities that a passing Chinese coast guard vessel had rescued 10 of the 21 all-Filipino crew members, the PCG confirmed in its statement.
The PCG said it deployed two ships and two aircraft to search for survivors.
The capsized vessel is managed by the company K-Line Roro Bulk Ship Management Co., Ltd.
Where exactly did the incident take place? The Chinese Embassy said the incident occurred "55 nautical miles northwest" of what Beijing calls "Huangyan Dao" — the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal.
The PCG emphasized that the capsized vessel's position fell within Manila's exclusive economic zone, where foreign ships may pass under freedom of navigation rules but where "law enforcement patrols by foreign vessels" are not permitted.
