The New Star incident was an event that occurred near the eastern port city of Vladivostok, when a Russian warship fired on a Chinese cargo vessel called the New Star. The cargo ship was sunk on February 15, 2009, with Russia and China presenting different stories regarding the incident.
The New Star (æ°æ Xënxëng) was a 5000-ton ship leased by a company based in Hong Kong. There were 16 crew members, 6 Indonesian and 10 Chinese citizens. The vessel was owned by Tongyu Shipping Zhejiang (æµÂæ±ÂéÂÂå®Âè¹åÂÂæÂÂéÂÂå ¬å¸) and leased to the Hong KongâÂÂbased J-Rui Lucky shipping company (é¦Â港åÂÂçÂÂ祥ï¼Âé¦Â港ï¼ÂæÂÂéÂÂå ¬å¸ XiÃÂnggÃÂng jàruìxiáng (XiÃÂnggÃÂng) yÃÂuxiàn gà Ângsë).
The RIA Novosti said crew members attempted to escape in two life-rafts after their ship was sinking. Only half of them were rescued by a Russian vessel. According to Xinhua News Agency, seven sailors were still missing and only three were rescued.