18 Vietnamese sailors in dangerous distress in international waters

(Dan Tri) - The Dolphin 18 ship carrying 18 Vietnamese crew members sank in international waters and was promptly rescued by the Nicolai Maersk ship.

In the early morning of January 11, the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (referred to as the Center) received a report that the Vietnamese ship Dolphin 18 was on its way to transport more than 5,300m3 of wood from Papua New Guinea to An Giang when it encountered an accident and had to abandon ship.

The cause was bad weather at sea, with strong winds of level 6-7 and waves of 4-5m high. The accident location was 146 nautical miles northwest of Riau Islands (Indonesia), and nearly 202 nautical miles southeast of Ca Mau Cape.

Immediately after receiving information about the incident, the Vietnam Maritime Administration directed the Center to try to contact the ship directly but there was no response.

Location of the Dolphin 18 ship in distress (Photo: Vietnam MRCC).

Realizing the dangerous and complicated nature of the situation, occurring in harsh weather conditions in international waters, far from the coasts of countries in the region, the Vietnam Maritime Administration continues to direct the Center to contact directly with rescue agencies of countries in the region.

The center immediately contacted the Indonesian Search and Rescue Coordination Center (RCC Indonesia), the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (Singapore MPA), and the Malaysian Law Enforcement Agency (MMEA), requesting emergency assistance, issuing a maritime notice, and searching for and rescuing the 18 crew members of the Dolphin 18.

Dolphin 18 before the accident (Photo: Shipspotting).

At 6:55 a.m., the Singapore Maritime Administration announced that the ship Nicolai Maersk, which was traveling in the area where the Dolphin 18 ship had an accident, had discovered and safely rescued all 18 crew members on two life rafts drifting at sea in bad weather conditions.

All rescued crew members have received medical care and are now in stable condition. The Dolphin 18 has completely sunk.

The ship Nicolai Maersk is expected to arrive at Tanjung Pelepas port (Malaysia) at 6:00 a.m. on January 12. The Vietnam Maritime Administration is directing the Center to coordinate with Hai Phuong Shipping Company Limited to provide information and support the reception of 18 crew members in Malaysia.

It is known that the Dolphin 18 ship is nearly 93m long and 18m wide, operated by Hai Phuong Shipping Company Limited.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/18-thuyen-vien-viet-nam-gap-nan-nguy-hiem-tren-vung-bien-quoc-te-20250111170519330.htm