On Friday morning, a sick foreign crew member of a crude oil tanker MARAN TAURUS from the sea off the Hoang Sa (Paracels) Archipelago was safely brought back to the mainland for treatment.

A local doctor giving medical examinations for the foreign victim before bringing him back to the mainland for further treatment

At 5.10pm on Thursday, 42 year-old Philippine crewmember Michael Samorin was reported to suffer from severe pains, and his ship was unable to provide medical treatment for the patient.

At that time his Greek vessel MARAN TAURUS which was en route to Singapore was passing through the Viet Nam waters at latitude 15°04’N and longitude 112°39’E on the south of the Tri Ton Island, part of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

After receiving an SOS message, the Viet Nam Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (Viet Nam MRCC) asked the ship to move towards the Da Nang coast.

In addition, the Da Nang Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (Da Nang MRCC) immediately sent out its rescue ship SAR 412, carrying doctors from the city’s Emergency Centre 115, to help the victim.

At 1.45am on Friday, SAR 412 reached the foreign ship, and the patient was, then, transferred to the rescue ship for first aid. At that time, the foreign patient was diagnosed to have an acute stomach, and his health condition got worse.

After receiving initial medical examinations, the victim was quickly brought back to the mainland for further treatment at a local hospital.