On Sunday, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang gave an update on the distress incident involving the Vietnamese vessel “KHOI NGUYEN 18”, expressing the Ministry’s gratitude to China for its swift assistance and voicing hope for continued close cooperation with China in the ongoing search and rescue of the missing crew members.
The vessel sank on the night of the 24th due to severe weather conditions. After the accident, relevant authorities from both Vietnam and China rushed to the scene to carry out rescue operations, with vessels in the nearby waters also joining in the search and rescue. As of 21:00 on the 26th, a total of 46 people had been rescued (45 by China and 1 by Vietnam). There were 62 Vietnamese crew members onboard.
After receiving the report, the Sansha Maritime Search and Rescue Sub-center immediately launched an emergency plan and began handling the situation. The “Nanhai Rescue 115” vessel was designated as the command ship on site, and search and rescue departments also dispatched the “Nanhai Rescue 113” vessel, a rescue helicopter, and coast guard forces to the scene, issuing navigation warnings and coordinating with passing vessels nearby to participate in the rescue.
On the evening of the 25th, after receiving notification, the Southern Theater Command Navy immediately mobilized the “Youhao” hospital ship, the “Rizhao” vessel, and other forces for joint search and rescue operations.
On the evening of the 26th, the Chinese side transferred 41 distressed individuals to the Vietnamese side. Due to rough sea conditions, the vessels from both sides could not come alongside each other and could only transfer people in batches using liferafts. The remaining 3 injured crew members and 1 accompanying person are scheduled to be transferred to Vietnam by helicopter on the 27th.