11 crew members rescued off sinking ship

Eight Chinese and three Vietnamese crew members were rescued after a Panamanian ship sank near Phu Quy Island, Binh Thuan Province.

Eight Chinese and three Vietnamese crew members were rescued after a Panamanian ship sank near Phu Quy Island, Binh Thuan Province.

   

Xin Hong Ship sinks near Phu Quy Island on December 17.

At 4.30 pm on December 17, the Panamanian-flagged ship named Xin Hong was carrying 7,800 tonnes of clay from Malaysia to Hong Kong. At the time, it had 15 crew members, including 11 Chinese and four Vietnamese members, on board. Because of bad weather, the cargo on the ship started to shift. The captain of the ship then asked for permission to take shelter at Phu Quy Port. However, on the way, it sank 1.5 nautical miles from Phu Quy Island.

Binh Thuan Command of the Border Guard then sent a lifeboat to the location. The Border Guard Station at Phu Quy Port asked the Phu Quy People's Committee to prepare medical supplies, medical declaration forms and Covid-19 quarantine centres for the crew members.

The sea near Phu Quy Island had strong winds and waves on December 17 so the search and rescue mission was badly affected. The border guard ship had to return to Phu Quy Island. The coast guard ship stayed near the reported location to keep searching for missing members.

Bui The Nhan, party secretary of Phu Quy Island, said they were still searching for the missing members. 11 of the crew were found on December 18 and were transferred to Phu Quy Island. They also found the bodies of two Chinese members.