Sinking Panamanian ship was covered by the Philippines’ emergency services, but they called on Taiwan for assistance

Taiwanese fishing trawler saves crew of 22 from sinking Panamanian ship
Matthew Strong, 2021/01/16 https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4104100

Crew members were transferred to Chinese vessel

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese fishing trawler rescued 22 crew members from a sinking Panamanian freighter after a fire southeast of Taiwan’s southern tip, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said Saturday (Jan. 16).

The 13,880-tonne Yong Feng first issued a call for help early Wednesday (Jan. 13), telling the rescue services it was letting in water after a fire on board. The area, 485 nautical miles southeast of Eluanbi, was covered by the Philippines’ emergency services, but they called on Taiwan for assistance, CNA reported.

As the Taiwanese fishing trawler Min Fa Yu was just a two-hour journey away from the spot of the incident, it headed toward the Yong Feng and rescued its crew of 14 Chinese and eight Bangladeshi citizens.

Considering coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention measures and the fact that the Yong Feng was Chinese-owned, the crew was transferred to the Chinese Donghai 113 based in Xiamen.

Saturday morning saw the CGA escort the Chinese ship in the direction of China and the Min Fa Yu back to Taiwan, where its crew were to undergo standard coronavirus prevention procedures.

The CGA described the rescue mission as a successful example of cross-border cooperation between Taiwan, the Philippines and China.