On January 11, the Vietnam Maritime Administration issued information on the search and rescue of 18 crew members of the DOLPHIN 18 ship in distress in international waters.

Accordingly, at 4:19 a.m. the same day, the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center received a distress report from the ship DOLPHIL 18 (operated by Hai Phuong Shipping Company Limited, located in Truc Ninh District, Nam Dinh) with 18 Vietnamese crew members. This ship was carrying 5,344 cubic meters of wood on its journey from Papua New Guinea to My Thoi, Vietnam.

When reaching a position about 202 nautical miles from Ca Mau cape, the ship sent a distress signal.

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Image of the DOLPHIN 18 ship before it sank. Photo: CTV

Immediately after receiving the information, the Vietnam Maritime Administration directed the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center to try to contact the ship directly but there was no response.

Realizing the dangerous and complicated nature of the incident, occurring in harsh weather conditions in international waters, the Vietnam Maritime Administration continued to contact directly with rescue agencies of countries in the region such as Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia to request emergency assistance. Mobilizing ships operating in the area to urgently go to the distress location to coordinate. At the same time, deploying professional measures, mobilizing specialized forces to search and rescue 18 crew members of the DOLPHIN 18 ship.

At 6:55 a.m. the same day, the Singapore Maritime Authority said that the ship NICOLAI MAERSK had discovered and safely rescued all 18 crew members of the ship DOLPHIN 18.

All rescued crew members received medical care and are currently in stable health.

The Vietnam Maritime Administration is continuing to direct the Center to continue coordinating with Hai Phuong Shipping Company Limited to provide information and support the reception of 18 crew members.