Cattle ship sinking: Family of Lochie Bellerby, missing after Gulf Livestock went down, prepare private search

The family of a Southland man missing in the East China Sea have slammed the New Zealand Government for its lack of support and say it has "no choice" but to prepare to launch their own rescue plan.

Lochie Bellerby went missing after Gulf Livestock 1, the boat he and fellow New Zealander Scott Harris were working on, sank with 43 people on board during a typhoon on September 2.

In a statement today, family spokeswoman Sue Sherburd said while the family was "overwhelmed" by resources donated and the support and generosity of private individuals, they were "bewildered" by the lack of action by the New Zealand Government.

"The Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs say they are doing 'all we can do' but this is not what's happening on the ground or if it is, the family are not aware of it.

"It would appear that we have no choice but to be ready to mount a private, locally-organised response and rescue plan."

Yesterday, an independent satellite conducted a 15km wide sweep of the area capturing high definition images, she said.

The satellite will pass over again today.

"If the satellite search identifies 'objects of interest', we remain unclear about what Mfat and the wider-Government plan to do to mobilise quickly."

Offers of support from concerned New Zealand and Australian organisations and individuals wanting to help move the search forward were coming in "thick and fast".

Satellite organisations, Japanese translators, marine experts and local Japanese fishing villages had also been searching shorelines in their boats.