AT 11.10am on Wednesday, the Zone II Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (Da Nang MRCC) received an SOS message from Captain Pham Tao’s fishing boat QNg 27218 TS from Quang Ngai Province.

Whilst the vessel was fishing about 46 nautical miles north-east of the Da Nang coast, Captain Tao was suffering from left abdominal and hip pains and was unable to urinate or defecate.

Da Nang MRCC sent out its ship SAR 274, carrying some doctors from the city's Emergency Centre 115, to help the sick captain.  The rescue ship reached the fishing boat by 3.30pm the same day, and Captain Tao was given immediate first aid before being taken back to the mainland for further treatment in a hospital in Da Nang.