More than 300 people on drifting foreign ship saved near Vung Tau waters

The VNRCC under the Vietnam Maritime Administration under the Ministry of Transport said that, on November 7, the Sri Lanka Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center sent a notice about the fishing vessel LADY R3, under the Myanmar flag, carrying about 300 Sri Lankan nationals encountered an accident when it arrived at the coordinates of 09 degrees 20 minutes North latitude and 111 degrees 16 minutes East longitude. The water had flowed into the engine room and could not be overcome since November 5, so the vessel's captain asked for assistance. Meanwhile, the weather in the area had Northeast wind at levels 5-6, with gusts of level 7.

After receiving the information, the center asked the Ho Chi Minh City coastal radio station to connect with the LADY R3 to advise and support the ship to fix the problem. At the same time, it would broadcast an urgent maritime notice, requesting vessels operating in the vicinity of the journey to move to the accident location to assist.

At the same time, the center also worked closely with international rescue agencies of relevant countries to verify the information and call for help from international ships.

Realizing the scale and complexity of the case, the center reported to the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response and Search and Rescue, the Ministry of Transport, and the Vietnam Maritime Administration, to propose direction to all relevant forces, such as the Navy Region II, the Coast Guard Region 3, and relevant local authorities to urgently participate in handling the case and coordinate in mobilizing vehicles for the rescue.

At 3:05 p.m. on November 7, the center discovered that the Helios Leader (Japan) was in the vicinity, so it asked the ship to change its course urgently to save the LADY R3. The Helios Leader approached the ship in distress at 3:40 p.m. on the same day and discovered that it was drifting with many people panicking on the deck. Under the center's guidance, the Helios Leader’s crew took necessary safety measures, transferred the victims onto the ship, and conducted care and first aid. At the scene, the center continued to mobilize five other vehicles to join in guarding and assisting in rescue when necessary. By 6:55 p.m. on November 7, all 303 people on the LADY R3, including 264 men, 19 women, and 20 children, were taken onto the Helios Leader safely and in stable health. After counting the number of people rescued and taking necessary healthcare measures, the Helios Leader left the scene and brought all 303 victims to the shore. At noon on November 8, the ship will arrive at buoy number zero in Vung Tau and hand over the victims to the authorities.