A South Korean freighter with 24 people on board is missing in the Atlantic and is presumed capsized off the coast of Uruguay, according to media reports.

An oil slick some 3700km off the coast indicated that the 266,000-tonne Stellar Daisy had gone down, the Uruguayan navy said in a statement.

The vessel had issued an SOS on Friday.

South Korea's foreign ministry said on Sunday that two Filipino crew members were rescued floating in a life raft on Saturday, but other lifeboats and rafts found in the area were empty, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

"A search operation is continuing for the 22 people," a South Korean foreign ministry official in Seoul said by telephone, adding eight of the missing are South Korean nationals and 14 are Filipinos.

Yonhap reported that crew members had sent a text message on Friday to say that the Stellar Daisy was sinking.

It was en route from Brazil to South Africa.</s>Large South Korean cargo ship with 24 crew on board goes missing in South Atlantic Ocean after making a distress call.

A large cargo ship with 24 crew on board is believed to have sunk in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Uruguayan navy.

The Stella Daisy, which was being used by a South Korean company, had issued an emergency call on Friday shortly before noon local time (14:00 GMT), saying it was taking on water, the navy said on Saturday.

Merchant ships in the area spotted a life raft and were working to rescue two sailors, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, quoting government officials in Seoul.

The sailors' nationality was not known. The crew comprised 16 Filipinos and eight Koreans.

Because the freighter was far off the Uruguayan coast, the navy organised a search by four merchant ships in the area, spokesman Gaston Jaunsolo told the AFP news agency in the capital, Montevideo.

He said the first ships to reach the scene had detected a "strong smell of fuel" and spotted debris, "an indication that the damaged ship had sunk", a statement from the navy said.

The ship, a Very Large Ore Carrier with a capacity of more than 260,000 tonnes, was registered in the Marshall Islands.

It had departed from a port in Brazil and its planned destination was not immediately clear.</s>A South Korean cargo vessel is missing after making its last contact in the South Atlantic about 2,500 kilometres (1,500 miles) from shore and 22 crew members are unaccounted for, South Korea's foreign ministry and news reports said on Sunday.

Two Filipino crew members have been rescued floating in a life raft on Saturday, but other lifeboats and rafts found in the area were empty, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

"A search operation is continuing for the 22 people," a South Korean foreign ministry official in Seoul said by telephone, adding eight of the missing are South Korean nationals and 14 are Filipinos.

South Korea has requested Brazil and Uruguay to aid in the search and rescue, the official said asking not to be identified.

The very large ore carrier (VLOC) Stellar Daisy owned and operated by South Korea's Polaris Shipping based in Busan was sailing from Brazil to China carrying iron ore when it sent a distress signal to the ship operator on Friday, Yonhap said.

A message last received on Friday by Polaris from a crew member said the ship was taking in water on the port side and was listing rapidly, Yonhap said.</s>SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of – South Korea’s government said Saturday that a cargo ship being used by a South Korean shipping company has gone missing in seas near Uruguay with 24 crew members.

The ship went out of contact late Friday, South Korea time, shortly after one of the crew members sent a text message to the shipping company saying the ship was taking on water, according to an official from Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.

READ MORE: Philippines searches for 18 crewmen of ship sunk by typhoon

The official said the Uruguayan maritime police and a commercial vessel that had been in neighbouring waters were searching for the Stella Daisy, which had departed from a port in Brazil on March 26.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules, said 16 Filipinos and eight South Koreans were on the ship. He said it wasn’t clear whether the ship sank or if the crew members escaped.

He said the ship was registered in the Marshall Islands.</s>A South Korean ship carrying thousands of tonnes of iron ore and a crew of 24 has vanished in the South Atlantic after setting out from a port in Brazil.

Two Filipino sailors were rescued last night from a life raft and are expected to give investigators details of how and why the Stellar Daisy foundered as it headed south.

The vessel, a Very Large Ore Carrier with a capacity of 260,000 tonnes, was taking a cargo of iron ore from the Ilha Guaiba terminal, near Rio de Janeiro, to China for use in the steel industry.

Its route would have taken it past Uruguay and Argentina, around Cape Horn and then across the Pacific.

But South Korea's Yonhap news agency said a message sent back to the owners' office in Seoul on Friday said the ship was taking in water on the port side and was listing badly.

It is thought to have gone down when it was 1,500 miles from shore, east of Uruguay, and Fleetmon reported it had sent a distress signal back to its owners' office in Seoul.

Several other empty lifeboats and rafts were found in the area.

The ship was being operated by a South Korean company, Polaris, but was flying under the flag of Marshall Islands, which is common practice.

It had a crew of eight South Koreans and 16 Filipinos.

Brazilian and Uruguayan navy ships and aircraft are searching the area and ships passing by are also being asked to keep an eye out for survivors.

Uruguayan Navy spokesman Gustavo Jaunsolo said the ship had been 2,000 nautical miles from Montevideo.

He said the first of four merchant ships to reach the scene had detected a 'strong smell of fuel' and spotted debris, suggesting the ship had sunk.

The ship was built in 1993 and was previously known as the Sunrise.</s>Uruguay is looking for 22 missing crew members of a South Korean ship after finding two survivors, authorities said Sunday.

Two Filipino survivors in good health were found Saturday floating in a life boat by a commercial boat participating in the search. Uruguayan Navy spokesman Gaston Jaunsolo told The Associated Press that the survivors said the Stella Daisy split in two and sank.

A Brazilian Navy plane joined the rescue team at around 2,485 miles (4,000 km) off Uruguay’s coast. Argentina’s Navy has also been helping.

The South Korean foreign ministry says the vessel’s shipping company lost contact with the Stella Daisy on Friday shortly after a crew member sent a text message saying it was taking on water.

It says there were 24 crew members aboard — eight South Koreans and 16 Filipinos. The ship was registered in the Marshall Islands.

The ship went out of contact late Friday, South Korea time, shortly after one of the crew members sent a text message to the shipping company saying the ship was taking on water, according to an official from Seoul’s foreign ministry.

The official said the Uruguayan maritime police and a commercial vessel that had been in neighboring waters were searching for the Stella Daisy, which had departed from a port in Brazil on March 26.</s>Two Filipino sailors have been rescued from a distressed South Korean freighter with 24 crew on board that had apparently sunk in the Atlantic Ocean, the Uruguayan navy said.

Four merchant ships in the area recovered three rafts, and rescued the two Filipino crew members on Saturday, said Gaston Jaunsolo, a spokesman for the navy.

The crew of the Stella Daisy, a Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC) with a capacity of more than 260,000 tonnes, comprised 16 Filipinos and eight Koreans.

The search for the others continued.

The ship had issued an emergency call on Friday shortly before noon (local time), saying it was taking on water, according to the navy.

Because the ship was far off the Uruguayan coast — some 3,700 kilometers, from Montevideo — the navy organised a search by four merchant ships in the area, Jaunsolo told AFP in Montevideo.

He said the first ships to reach the scene had detected a “strong smell of fuel” and spotted debris, “an indication that the damaged ship had sunk,” a statement from the navy said.

The ship, which is flagged in the Marshall Islands, had departed from a port in Brazil. Its intended destination was not immediately clear.

Brazil is sending an aircraft to assist in the search, officials said.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>SEOUL: A South Korean cargo ship has gone missing in waters off Uruguay after making a distress call, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Saturday. The Stella Daisy with eight South Korean and 16 Filipino crew members on board disappeared Friday after sending a text message that it was sinking, the ministry said. “It remains unknown whether the crew escaped to safety,” a ministry official was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency. A search operation by Uruguayan coast guards was underway, it added. – AFP</s>MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) - Uruguay is looking for 22 missing crew members of a South Korean ship after finding two survivors, authorities said Sunday.

Two Filipino survivors in good health were found Saturday floating in a life boat by a commercial boat participating in the search. Uruguayan Navy spokesman Gaston Jaunsolo told The Associated Press that the survivors said the Stella Daisy split in two and sank.

A Brazilian Navy plane joined the rescue team at around 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometers) off Uruguay's coast. Argentina's Navy has also been helping.

The South Korean foreign ministry says the vessel's shipping company lost contact with Stella Daisy on Friday shortly after a crew member sent a text message saying it was taking on water.

It says there were 24 crew members aboard - eight South Koreans and 16 Filipinos. The ship was registered in the Marshall Islands.</s>SEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean cargo vessel is missing after losing contact in the South Atlantic about 1,500 miles offshore, South Korea's foreign ministry said Sunday.

22 crew members are unaccounted for, the foreign ministry confirmed.

Two Filipino crew members floating in a life raft were rescued Saturday, but other lifeboats found in the area were empty, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

On Friday a crew member sent a text message saying the 148,000-tonne ship was taking in water on the port side, Yonhap said.

"A search operation is continuing for the 22 people," a South Korean foreign ministry official in Seoul said, adding eight of the missing are South Korean nationals and 14 are Filipinos.

South Korea has requested Brazil and Uruguay to aid in the search and rescue.

The very large ore carrier (VLOC) Stellar Daisy was sailing from Brazil to China carrying iron ore when it sent a distress signal to its operator, South Korea's Polaris Shipping, on Friday, Yonhap said.

The ship is owned by the shipping firm which is based in Busan, South Korea.
Authorities cannot contact the South Korean cargo freighter Stellar Daisy. It is believed that the ship sunk off the coast of Uruguay.