Days after a young woman revealed on social media that her father had been stabbed to death aboard a Chinese fishing vessel in international waters, authorities in eastern China’s Shandong province confirmed Monday that the suspect, a crew member, had been detained and the ship was returning to port. 

The tragedy first became public after the victim’s daughter, posting under the pseudonym Xinglinger, shared details on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, known in English as RedNote. 

Her father had returned to captaining a fishing vessel last August to earn money for her dowry. He texted her on March 10 to discuss her upcoming wedding. Two days later, Xinglinger learned that he had been stabbed by a crew member and thrown overboard. 

In its statement, the Weihai Coast Guard confirmed the incident had occurred in international waters on March 11, adding that the suspect has been detained and the vessel is returning to port as authorities continue their investigation.

In her post, Xinglinger stated that her father had helped hire the suspect and secure them a job aboard the ship. Declining an interview request, she told Sixth Tone, “I will not accept interviews until the vessel returns and evidence collection is complete.” The vessel is expected to return to port within two weeks.

Online, her emotional post quickly drew widespread attention, attracting thousands of views and comments. Many expressed sympathy and called for justice, amplifying public interest in a case that might otherwise have remained obscure. 

In her post, Xinglinger wrote that her father had been at sea for nearly a year and was due home in June for her wedding. She also shared screenshots of their chats, including his final message: “You’re the bride, you can’t steal the host’s job.” 

In an earlier interview with domestic media, she said her family is from Rongcheng, a county-level city in Weihai, where residents largely rely on fishing or farming for a living. Her father had spent much of his life at sea, gradually rising from a crew member to captain by 2021.

“He was a smooth talker, emotionally supportive, and always paid attention to the little things,” Xinglinger told domestic media. “He loved my mom and me very much.” 

The incident also underscores legal complexities surrounding crimes committed in international waters. Under international law, vessels on the high seas remain under the jurisdiction of the country whose flag they fly.

In 2020, a joint statement by China’s Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuratorate, and the China Coast Guard specified that such crimes are prosecuted where the ship first docks or the suspect disembarks.

“Once the vessel returns, subsequent procedures, such as transfer for prosecution, will be largely the same as domestic criminal cases,” Zhao Cong, a lawyer with Beijing Zhong Wen Law Firm, told domestic media. In China, intentional homicide convictions carry penalties ranging from 10 years in prison to the death penalty.

A notorious precedent was set in 2011, when 11 crew members hijacked a fishing vessel from Shandong, murdering 16 people. In 2017, China’s Supreme Court upheld death sentences for five defendants.

Determined to seek justice for her father, Xinglinger has retained legal representation. “No matter what, I will give it my all,” she wrote. “Even if it takes public pressure or connections, I will fight for the suspect to be sentenced to death.”

Additional reporting: Lu Zhiyi; editor: Apurva.  

(Header image: VCG)