Japanese coast guard ships and aircraft were searching on Friday for 3 missing crew of a cargo ship that capsized and sank after a collision with a Marshall Islands-registered tanker in the Seto Inland Sea, authorities reported.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference that the Byakko sank at about 2:40 AM after colliding with the chemical tanker just before midnight in the Kurushima Strait.

Kato pointed out that 9 of its 12 crew were rescued by the coast guard and nearby ships, saying coast guard patrol ships were searching the waters for the remaining three.

There were no injuries among the tanker crew, and no leakage or floating objects at the site, he said.

A Japanese coast guard spokesman identified the tanker as the Ulsan Pioneer, registered in the Marshall Islands.

He added that the coast guard had deployed 14 patrol ships and 3 aircraft in the search.