WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Seventeen fishermen missing for more than 30 hours after their Republic of Korea (ROK) boat sank near Antarctica were given up for dead on Tuesday, with officials saying no one could have survived the icy waters.

New Zealand's rescue coordination center, which was running a search by private vessels in the remote region, said it had suspended the operation indefinitely.

The No 1 In Sung went down on Monday some 2,200 km south of New Zealand, about halfway to Antarctica. It sank quickly - prompting speculation it struck an iceberg - and the crew of 42 had to abandon ship without donning survival gear.

Nearby ships quickly pulled 20 survivors from the sea, along with the bodies of five dead crewmen, leaving 17 unaccounted for.

Rescue coordination spokesman Dave Wilson said on Tuesday it was "exceedingly unlikely" that any of the 17 missing could have survived - with sea temperatures near freezing.

"Unfortunately the Southern Ocean is an extremely unforgiving environment," Wilson said, using an alternative name for the Antarctic Ocean.

Three ROK and two New Zealand fishing boats were called into the search by the Rescue Coordination Center on Monday.

The New Zealand vessels were released on Monday evening. The three other boats continued to search overnight, but were released on Tuesday.

The search was called off after almost 30 hours because "there was no reasonable expectation that any further survivors would be found", Wilson said in a statement.

Under maritime rules, New Zealand has responsibility for coordinating nearby vessels in its search and rescue region, which covers a wide area of the Antarctic and South Pacific oceans.

It was unclear why the No 1 In Sung sank in light winds and a relatively mild 1-meter swell.

Wilson said the 20 survivors were onboard the ROK vessel No 707 Hongjin and reported to be in a comfortable condition.

ROK's Foreign Ministry said on board were eight South Koreans, eight Chinese, 11 Indonesians, 11 Vietnamese, three Filipinos and one Russian.

Associated Press

(China Daily 12/15/2010 page11)