Another ship down.  Speculation is that the Korean fishing vessel No.1 In Sung either struck an iceberg or was hit by a large wave off Antarctica.   Twenty surviving crew  members  were  rescued and taken aboard the fishing vessel No. 707 Hongjin. Five  are reported dead with seventeen still missing.

Five dead, 17 missing after sinking

The search for survivors from a Korean fishing vessel that sank in the Southern Ocean will continue through the night.

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) said three Korean fishing vessels would continue to look for the 17 men still missing after the Korean-owned and operated No. 1 In Sung sank early this morning.

Twenty survivors had been recovered, while a further five crew were found dead. Seventeen are still reported missing, taking the possible death toll of the sinking to 22.

The 20 survivors and five deceased are now on board the fishing vessel No. 707 Hongjin.

Crew members on the fishing vessel included eight South Koreans, eight Chinese, 11 Indonesians, three Filipinos and one Russian, South Korean media reported.

Ryan Kim of the Korean company that owned and operated the vessel, Insung Corporation, said he was not holding out much hope for the 17 missing crew.

”In my opinion [survival] is not possible because it is a long time and the temperature of the water is too low,” he said.

He said it was not clear why the vessel sank in about 30 minutes.

”We are investigating the reason why the vessel sank because we have not yet heard any evidence. We are guessing a reason might be it hit an iceberg or was hit by a strong wave,” he said.