After tense hours of facing high waves and strong wind, rescue ships from the Zone II Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (Da Nang MRCC) have safely brought back a total of 11 fishermen who had been in danger at sea to the mainland.

The handover of the11 crew members to relevant local agencies in progress

At around 2.21am on Saturday, ship Hai Ha 38, which belongs to Nghe An Province-based Ngoc Mai Trading and Transportation Service JSC, with its crew of 11, carrying 1,600 tonnes of brick, suddenly tilted to its right side at latitude 16°15’N and longitude 108°22’E whilst en route from Quang Ninh Province to Can Tho City.

The unexpected incident facing the vessel was as a result of the effect of a tropical depression at sea.

Being afraid of the possible capsize of the vessel, one of the 11 panicked crew members suddenly jumped into water in order to survive this incident.

After receiving an SOS message from the boat’s captain, the Viet Nam MRCC staff encouraged the remaining fishermen onboard the distressed ship to keep calm, and provided them with necessary safety instructions as well.

Shortly after, Viet Nam MRCC asked the Da Nang MRCC to send out its rescue ships SAR 412 and SAR274 to help the victims. At around 3.20am, the 2 rescue ships arrived at the scene. At that time, the distressed boat was tilting to its right side at a 40-degree angle, and at a high risk of capsizing. 

The 10 fishermen left onboard were transferred to rescue ship SAR 412 for safety, whilst SAR 274 rescuers, in a prompt fashion, conducted the search for the missing one who had jumped into water previously. Eventually, after more than an hour of searching at sea, the missing victim was found and rushed to SAR 274 for first aids.

At 5.20am on the same day, all the 11 crew members were safely brought back to the Da Nang MRCC wharf by the 2 rescue ships, and they are now in good condition.