Japan says boat row should not hurt Taiwan ties

TOKYO (Reuters) — Japan said it wanted to avoid damaging relations after Taiwan protested against the holding of a fishing boat captain whose vessel sank following a collision with the Japanese coastguard in disputed waters.

The coastguard took all 16 people aboard the Taiwan boat onto its own vessel after the sinking. Fifteen were quickly released, but the captain was held for questioning about the incident, which took place in the early hours of Tuesday off a group of tiny islands 1,200 miles southwest of Tokyo.

Japan released the captain on Friday and he would return to Taiwan within the day, Taiwan's foreign ministry said.

Taiwan's president issued an official protest on Thursday, the same day demonstrators converged on the de facto Japanese embassy, burning flags and demanding Japan release the captain, compensate the vessel's owner and apologise for the incident.

"This matter should be dealt with in such a way that does not damage the healthy development of ties with Taiwan," a Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said.

The islands are controlled by Japan, but also claimed by China and Taiwan. Relations between Japan and Taiwan are generally good, although Japan formally recognises China and not Taiwan.

The disputed islands are known as the Senkaku isles in Japan, Diaoyu in Chinese and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan. They are thought to lie near undersea oil and gas reserves as well as boasting rich fishing.

Boaters rescued off Gulf Coast

GALVESTON (AP) — The US Coast Guard rescued seven people, including two children, who took shelter on an oil rig after their pleasure boat started sinking early Sunday in the Gulf of Mexico.

The boaters were rescued about 23 miles southeast of Galveston.

The New Buckaneer, an offshore supply ship, picked up a mayday call from the boaters and relayed it to the US Coast Guard around 8 a.m. The distress call said the Mako, a 20-foot pleasure craft, was sinking and all seven passengers were in the water.

A Coast Guard rescue boat sent to the scene picked up the seven stranded boaters from the oil platform.

The boaters were reported to be in good condition, said USCG petty officer Renee Aiello said. All were wearing life jackets at the time of the rescue. The Mako was towed back to Galveston.

Last week, the USCG rescued five sailors who spent 26 hours at sea after their boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico. The body of a sixth sailor was found aboard the Cynthia Woods.

The crew, which included four students and two safety officers from Texas A&M University, had been participating in a regatta from Galveston to Veracruz, Mexico.

Oil found 26,000 feet below ocean, sea bed

(Bloomberg) — Petroleo Brasileiro SA, which in November made the largest oil discovery in the Americas in three decades, said it discovered oil in one of its deepest offshore fields yet.

Petrobras, as the company is known, found oil in pre-salt structures in the Guara field, in waters 7,000 feet deep and beneath 20,000 feet of sea bed, one of its deepest fields, according to information filed with Brazil's National Petroleum Agency, the ANP.

Drilling was conducted by Stena AB's Stena Drill Max rig, according to the ANP site.