Informing VietNamNet, tonight (March 24), the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center said: The unit has just successfully rescued 9 crew members of a cement ship that had an accident in the waters of Cu Lao Cham.

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Accordingly, at 5:15 a.m. today, the Giang Anh 18 ship, captained by Mr. Hoang Manh Tien and 8 crew members, was traveling from Hai Phong to Chu Lai, carrying 2,960 tons of cement. When the ship reached the coordinates: 15º 54.056' N - 108º 31.124' E, about 0.53 nautical miles from Hon Tai Island, Cu Lao Cham (Hoi An) waters, the ship crashed into a shallow reef. The ship's hull was punctured, water flooded the deck, causing the ship to tilt 35º - 40º to the left.

The captain and crew tried to fix the leak, but the tear in the hull was too large, water flooded into the ship quickly, and the ship began to sink. The situation worsened, causing the crew to panic.

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Cement ship sank, 9 crew members in distress. Photo: Hoang Bach

Realizing the dangerous situation threatening the lives of the crew, the Captain of the Giang Anh 18 contacted the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center urgently requesting emergency rescue.

Upon receiving the news, the Center sent forces to guide the rescue from a distance, asked the crew to wear life jackets, quickly implement safety measures and immediately abandon ship.

The center also coordinated with relevant agencies in the area and the Border Guard force to mobilize all resources to rescue the distressed ship.

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Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center dispatched rescue vehicles to rescue 9 crew members. Photo: Tung Bach

The unit's leaders mobilized the rescue ship with the number SAR 274 in Da Nang to urgently leave the port to rescue the Giang Anh 18 ship.

At 7:27 a.m., SAR 274 arrived at the scene and approached Giang Anh 18. The rescue team quickly applied professional measures and searched for and rescued 4 crew members who were in poor health and panic and handed them over to medical staff for care and treatment.

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Develop an oil spill response plan after the incident.

After that, SAR 274 continued to coordinate with vehicles of the Quang Nam Provincial Border Guard Command to rescue the remaining 5 crew members and bring them to Cu Lao Cham Island for medical care.

At 9:54, all 9 victims were brought safely to Cu Lao Cham and handed over to the authorities.

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Search for missing sailors.

SAR 274 remained at the scene to coordinate with relevant units to survey and develop a plan to prevent oil spills at sea. As for Giang Anh 18, the units were unable to immediately rescue the hull because the vehicle was flooded and gradually sank.