The mother of the charter boat captain who is believed to have drowned when the ship sank on Sunday, June 28, told Global News he has a lot of experience operating boats.
Ashley Lin’s 23-year-old son, Ming Chen, was aboard the 30-foot boat that sank in deep waters off the coast of Richmond with 10 people on board.
His body, like that of five other people, has not been found.
“He’s a good kid. He’s very loving, very kind-hearted… He’s very kind-hearted,” Lin told Global News.
She said that when she heard the news about her son, it was like the sky had fallen on her.
“I was told that four people survived, six people were missing, and Ming Chen was one of them,” she said.
Story continues below advertisement
Even after hearing the news, Lin and Chen’s friend Haley Li continued searching because she felt that the missing people were still alive.
“We not only searched the area where the boat sank, but we also searched the Delta area because it was very, very windy that day,” Lin said.
A vigil was held Sunday evening near the water for the six missing people.
Lin wore her son’s jacket to the vigil on Sunday night so he could still find it, she said.
“He was a very independent child; I’m not a very good mother; he was the one who took care of the whole family,” she said.
Get the latest national news
Get the latest Canadian news delivered to your inbox as it happens, so you don’t miss the top stories.
When Chen was only 23 years old, his mother said that he had been fishing for 10 years and had a lot of boating experience.
“He has a lot of experience in boating and boat handling,” Lin explained.
She added that her son didn’t talk much about his job at Top Fishing Charter, but when he moved to Vancouver a few years ago, he started working with the owner.
Global News reached the boat’s owner by phone Monday afternoon.
Story continues below advertisement
He said he could not answer any questions about the sinking or the condition of the boat.
3:23
Six people are believed to have drowned after a boat sank
“The owner discovered that (my son) was very smart, and he could also tell that he really loved fishing, so he started asking him to help on the boat,” Lin said.
“He loved his job and he loved taking people fishing. Because I didn’t know much, so he didn’t give me too many details, but sometimes he would mention that the boat wasn’t very easy to handle.”
More about Canada More videos
Lin added that her son mentioned that the owner was going to give him training, but he did a lot of research on his own.
She said she didn’t actually talk to the owner.
Story continues below advertisement
“I’m just one person,” she said. “I hope he can help find all six missing people, and I also want to find out how this happened.
“I think he is responsible.”
None of the people on board were reported to be wearing life jackets, but Lin said she believed her son did everything possible to avoid tragedy.
The RCMP’s Major Crimes Unit continues to investigate the incident.
“My only hope is for all six people to come home,” Lin said. “All the families are waiting for them to come home.”
The organizer of Sunday’s rally said he was friends with Chen and spoke to him on the morning of the incident.
“One of the victims is my friend, the captain; he’s a really nice guy, he has a lot of friends in my fishing group chat and we miss him a lot,” Summer Guo said.
“We miss him so much and we want to know what’s going on, what happened, and we want to pray and hope that he can come home.”
Guo said they talked over text that Sunday morning, and Chen said he took the group out on the water.
Story continues below advertisement
“They were actually waiting for the wind to die down a little bit so the waves would cool down a little bit. So yeah, it’s safer to go out, right?” Guo added.
He said Chen will be missed by all who knew him.
“He’s just a really nice guy. I miss him a lot.”
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.