Rescued tanker dog headed for O'ahu

By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer

Forgea, the dog left aboard the tanker Insiko 1907 when 11 crew members were rescued three weeks ago, yesterday ran from rescuers when fishermen from a Honolulu longliner boarded the vessel 700 miles southwest of O'ahu.

"One problem is the dog was raised understanding Mandarin, and the fishermen speak English," said Pamela Burns, Hawaiian Humane Society president.

But Forgea, a 40-pound, 2-year-old black-and-white mixed terrier, is in good health and headed for home, she said. The dog may have survived on rats and rainwater, Burns said.

The fishermen said they hope to bring Forgea to Honolulu in a week, so the dog can be returned to Capt. Chung Chin Po in Taiwan, if possible.

After two failed searches, "this outcome is fabulous," Burns said.

The Forgea story has brought more than $40,000 in donations worldwide. "How appropriate that the dog's Chinese name means happiness, prosperity, good fortune," Burns said.

Forgea was left behind when the Insiko crew was rescued by a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship April 2.

The Hawaiian and United States humane societies mounted a $50,000 search April 5, but gave up April 7.

Fishermen saw a ship April 9, but a second search failed.

Saturday, a Coast Guard C-130 spotted the Insiko 250 miles east of Johnston Atoll, with Forgea running about on deck.

If the fuel-laden ship threatens the atoll's wildlife sanctuary, the Coast Guard may have it towed to Honolulu, said Rusty Nall, vice president of American Marine Corp.

The ship also carries the body of a crew member who died in a fire that disabled the ship March 13.

Reach Walter Wright at 525-8054 or wwright@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the boat that spotted the Insiko tanker on April 9 as Japanese.