Japanese sailor missing from whaler

TOKYO, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A sailor from a Japanese whaling ship was missing after likely falling overboard in the Antarctic Ocean, a spokesman for the whaler's operators said.

Efforts to find Hajime Shirasaki, a 30-year-old engine room operator who failed to report for his shift Sunday morning, had proved fruitless, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Monday.

Glen Inwood, a spokesman for the ship's operators, told the Australian network other Japanese whaling ships in the area and crews from the New Zealand coast guard were en route to help with the search.

"There has been a thorough on-board search of the Kyoshin Maru No. 2 and when no sign of him was found the sea search intensified," Inwood said.