Freighter sinks off Vietnam; all 18 crew members rescued in S’pore-coordinated effort

Freighter sinks off Vietnam; all 18 crew members rescued in S’pore-coordinated effort
Raul Dancel Jan 11, 2025 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/freighter-sinks-off-vietnam-all-1...

SINGAPORE - All 18 crew members of a freighter that sank off the coast of Vietnam have been rescued, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said on Jan 11.

MPA said in a statement that its Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was alerted at around 7am on Jan 11 by Hong Kong-registered container ship Nicolai Maersk to a distress call it received from the Vietnam-registered freighter Dolphin 18.

The Dolphin 18 was reported to be about 274 nautical miles south-west of Vung Tau, in Vietnam, within Singapore’s maritime search and rescue region, which covers both Singapore and more than 1 million sq km of the South China Sea.

“The MRCC coordinated the search and rescue and immediately issued navigational broadcasts for vessels in the vicinity to keep a lookout and report sightings of the vessel in distress, and also alerted our Vietnamese counterparts,” MPA said.

The Nicolai Maersk was the first to arrive at the scene, rescuing all 18 of the Dolphin 18’s crew members, who were already in their lifeboats.

MPA said all of those rescued “were found to be in healthy condition” and were set to disembark from the Nicolai Maersk in Tanjung Pelepas, in Malaysia.

The MRCC, meanwhile, issued broadcasts for passing vessels to navigate with caution in the area where the Dolphin 18 – built in 1999 – sank.