Southern-Park

The three Vietnamese crew members who jumped from the "Southern Ocean" in Bluff were being sent home. The Immigration New Zealand has finished interviewing the men, and arrangements were now being made to fly the men home. The cost of repatriation would be covered by the shipping agent, with the men being repatriated by the fishing company. As the crew members were never granted entry permission to New Zealand they were technically not being deported. The injured crew member was transported to Southland Hospital for treatment, with Immigration New Zealand granting him a two week visa for medical treatment. New Zealand police investigated the death on behalf of the coroner, and the vessel was allowed to depart on Nov 28 afternoon without the three missing crew members on board. Ad Feedback The crew members were originally believed to have remained on South Port property, but were eventually found in the southern outskirts of Invercargill early on Nov 29 morning after police responded to a call from a member of the public. Report with photo: https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/99397804/vietnamese-fishermen-to-be-repatriated-after-jumping-ship-in-bluff

Three Vietnamese crewman who jumped ship from the "Southern Ocean" were located on Nov 29 just after 5 a.m. on the southern outskirts of Invercargill in good health. The men must have swum from the Bluff harbour island to escape. The trawler has a mixture of Chinese and Vietnamese with Korean officers. The three Vietnamese abscondees were detained after a member of the public tipped them off that they were in a cafe in the Invercargill suburb of Clifton. They were now in custody under the Immigration Act and the matter has been handed to Immigration New Zealand. The men disappeared when the vessel docked in Bluff Harbour with a dead crewman aboard. The Chinese man died when a wave went over the deck. An Indonesian crew member was also injured. The two men and three others, who were unharmed, were swept overboard while trying to clear ice off the boat's funnel. Police were investigating the death on behalf of the coroner and it was not a criminal investigation. The incident occurred in international waters but as New Zealand was the closest country there was an obligation to investigate it.

A police search was underway for three crew members who fled the "Southern Ocean" in Bluff, which pulled into Southland Port on Nov 27 with a dead Chinese crewman on board. The crew member died over a week ago, on Nov 20, from injuries obtained during an incident on board. The incident occurred in the Southern ocean, within international waters, but New Zealand was the closest country so they had the obligation to investigate. It wasn't a criminal investigation. The three foreign nationals left the vessel at 2 p.m. The vessel left the port around 3 p.m. on Nov 28.