Maltese-registered ship sinks off Japan

Six Ukranian crew members are missing after the Maltese-registered ship Aurelia sank off the Japanese coast.

An investigation into the incident was launched by the Malta Maritime Authority's Merchant Shipping Directorate.

The authority said the Aurelia was reported to have sunk late on Tuesday about 300 nautical miles south of Japan.

The cargo ship was manned by 22 Ukranian nationals, 16 of whom were picked up by the Japanese coast guard. Coast guard units are still in the area conducting a search in the hope of finding the missing crew members, the MMA said.

The vessel was carrying 33,000 tons of zinc ore from Callao, Peru on its way to various discharge ports in Japan, Korea and China.

The MMA directorate said it was closely monitoring the situation and was liasing with local authorities in the investigation into the causes leading to this loss.