At 5am on Thursday, Captain Nguyen Anh Danh’s fishing boat BD 97179 from Binh Dinh Province, with a crew of 12 onboard, suffered engine failure and broke its propeller whilst fishing at latitude 16°49’N and longitude 108°40’E.

After receiving an SOS message, the Viet Nam Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center (Viet Nam MRCC) coordinated with relevant rescue teams and asked local fishing boats operating nearby to help the fishermen in distress.  However, at that time there were no fishing boats near the scene due to the harsh weather conditions at sea, so the lives of the 12 fishermen were in danger.

At 6.45am, the Viet Nam MRCC asked the Zone II Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (Da Nang MRCC) to send rescue ship SAR 274 to the scene.  4 hours and 15 minutes later, the rescuers reached the boat and brought the fishermen to the mainland.

Fishing boat BD 97179 (Photo: dantri.com.vn)