Gulf Livestock 1

On her final voyage, Gulf Livestock 1 was carrying a cargo of 5,867 live cattle, and was owned by the UAE-based Gulf Navigation Holding shipping company.[3] The vessel left Napier, New Zealand on 14 August, and was scheduled to arrive in the Port of Jingtang, Tangshan China on 3 September 2020.[4]

The ship sent a distress signal from the East China Sea west of the Japanese island of Amami Ōshima on 2 September 2020 at 1:40 am JST (4:40 pm 1 September UTC).[1][5] The first survivor recovered reported that the ship's sole main propulsion engine failed during rough seas caused by Typhoon Maysak, and the vessel later capsized after being struck by a wave.[3] Before the ship capsized, the 34-year old Filipino ship captain was also able to tell his wife via instant messages that the worsening of the typhoon had caused the ship's engine to fail.[6]

There were 43 crew members on board, 39 from the Philippines, two from New Zealand and two from Australia.[4] The missing Australians were reported to have been an equine veterinarian and a stock handler.[5] One of the New Zealanders was a stock handler and wilderness hunter guide named Lochie Bellerby.

On 2 September, one crew member, a 45-year-old Filipino chief officer, was rescued by the Japanese Coast Guard.[1] On 4 September, a second crew member was found unresponsive in the water by the Coast Guard and died shortly after being rescued.[7] In the same area, several cattle carcasses and a life vest were also recovered.[8] A second survivor, a 30-year-old Filipino deckhand in a life raft, was rescued on the afternoon of 4 September just after 4:00 pm.[7] On 9 September, the Coast Guard suspended the search for survivors.[9] The tragedy led New Zealand to reconsider the exports of livestock by sea.[10]