Rescuers are searching for a cargo barge with a crew of five Vietnamese sailors that lost contact with the mainland when it was sailing off the southern Vietnamese province of Bac Lieu last Saturday.

The search is underway in an area 13 km off the mouth of the Tranh De River, where contact with the ship was lost at 11 am on December 13, the Viet Nam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (Viet Nam MRCC) said.

The barge, ĐN-0906, is owned by Thuong Hai Company located in Bien Hoa City in the southern province of Dong Nai.

The areas bordered by black lines are those where rescue vessels have searched for the five missing sailors from December 13, 2014.

The barge ran aground and then lost contact with the mainland while carrying 1,274 tons of concrete piles from Ho Chi Minh City to Bac Lieu.

By noon on Monday, December 15, seven boats had been mobilized for the search. Of these vessels, two were from the Viet Nam MRCC, three came from the Border Guard of southern Soc Trang Province, and the remaining two were local fishing boats.

At 3 pm the same day, Soc Trang fishermen reported to the local border guard force that they had detected many wooden bars floating 13-14 km off the coast between Soc Trang and Bac Lieu.

The force is coordinating with other concerned agencies to verify the information.

The five missing sailors include Nguyen Van Nam, the barge’s captain; Nguyen Van Tuan, from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak; and Nguyen Van Dong, Nguyen Van Lieu, and another Nguyen Van Lieu – all from the north-central province of Ha Tinh.

By late Monday, no signs of the barge or the missing sailors were reported, rescue forces said.  

Continuous efforts to search for the victims are underway.