A MESSAGE in a bottle discovered on the coast of a remote Irish island has captured global attention and revived questions surrounding the unexplained disappearance of a Taiwanese fishing crew more than four years ago.
The bottle, found on the shore of Inisheer (Inis Oírr), the smallest of the Aran Islands, contained a handwritten note in a mix of Indonesian, English, and Chinese.
It was discovered last week by Matthew Laming and a friend while they were walking along the beach.
After breaking open the wax-sealed bottle, they found what appeared to be a desperate SOS message.
“We used Google Translate, and the first part of it translated to an SOS in Indonesian,” Laming said in an interview. “At first, I thought it was a prank, but now, I’m not so sure.”
According to Laming’s Reddit post, the note reads, “Please send help! We are lost since 12/20. There are 3 of us here. We don’t know the name of this island. We are injured. HELP. HELLO. SOS.”
The note ends with the Chinese character “Li” (李) and the name “Yong Yu Sing No. 18,” the designation of a Taiwanese tuna fishing vessel that went missing in late 2020.
The Yong Yu Sing No. 18 was last heard from on December 30, 2020. Just days later, the US Coast Guard found the vessel drifting aimlessly over 600 miles northeast of Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
The boat’s windows were shattered, its lifeboat was missing, and the ten-man crew—including a Taiwanese captain surnamed Li and nine Indonesian fishermen—were gone without a trace.
Taiwanese prosecutors later ruled the incident an accident but offered no answers about what happened to the crew.
The case remains one of the country’s most unsettling maritime mysteries.
The note’s sudden appearance thousands of miles away in the Atlantic Ocean has sparked an online frenzy, particularly on Reddit, where Laming’s post on the subreddit r/beachcombing quickly went viral.
Internet users dug into the message’s possible origins, some pointing out the similarities to the real-life disappearance of the Yong Yu Sing No. 18, while others speculated on ocean currents, timelines, and whether the note could have plausibly made it from the Pacific to the Irish coast.
Some sceptics dismissed it as a hoax, noting the improbability of such a message surviving the ocean’s journey for over four years.
But others took the note seriously, especially after connecting it to the captain’s surname and the ship’s exact name.
A few commenters even drew comparisons to historical cases, such as the 1992 Friendly Floatees incident, in which thousands of plastic toys released during a shipping accident were found on beaches around the world decades later.
In Taiwan, the note is being treated with caution but seriousness.
The Su’Ao Fisherman’s Association, which represents many of the region’s fishermen, issued a statement calling on the government to verify the message and, if confirmed, to cooperate with international authorities on potential rescue or recovery efforts.
The Taiwan Yilan District Prosecutors Office, which led the original investigation, has not publicly responded to the discovery.
Meanwhile, Laming and his friend handed the message over to local authorities in Galway.
Ireland’s police service, An Garda Síochána, confirmed receiving a report of the item found on Inisheer but declined to comment on third-party content or ongoing speculation.
While the message is yet to be unverified, its emotional impact is undeniable.
For the families of the missing crew, the note—whether genuine or not—serves as a painful reminder of unanswered questions and lost loved ones.
For internet sleuths, it’s a mystery that might yet unravel.
“My gut tells me it’s a hoax,” Laming admitted, “but Reddit has made me think—just maybe.”
See More: An Garda Síochána, Aran Islands, Fishing, Reddit, Taiwan
