New Zealand is exploring the viability of working with partners to conduct a search for the black box of the capsized cattle ship Gulf Livestock 1, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a statement today.
“We know how much it would mean to the families of those on the ship to understand more about what happened to cause this tragic loss of life,” Peters said in the statement.
“That is why officials have been instructed to investigate the viability of searching for the ship’s black box - in concert with interested international partners, such as Panama, Japan, Australia, the Philippines and the ship’s owners.
“We understand that such a search could be difficult and expensive, given the depth at which the ship is believed to have sunk. But we believe it is only responsible to explore what might be possible."
New Zealand remains in close contact with the Japan Coast Guard, via the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo, while Maritime NZ is continuing to provide support to the Japanese-led search effort, the statement says.