Earlier, the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center Region 3, based in HCMC, received an emergency report from the cruise ship Pacific World, registered in Panama, and its Vietnamese agent Viet Long. The vessel was sailing from Singapore to Taiwan when an 84-year-old Japanese passenger, identified as T.A., developed life-threatening health complications. The patient exhibited severe respiratory distress and was diagnosed with acute pneumonia. His condition deteriorated rapidly, progressing to acute respiratory failure, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation.
Upon receiving the distress signal, the VMRCC urgently coordinated with relevant authorities and the maritime agent to launch a rescue operation. Under the direction of the Office of the National Defense Steering Committee, the Ministry of Construction, and the Vietnam Maritime and Waterways Administration, the center dispatched the dedicated search-and-rescue vessel SAR 272, stationed in HCMC, along with an emergency medical team.
At 10:46 a.m., the captain of the Pacific World reported that another passenger, H.M., a 79-year-old Japanese national, was also experiencing breathing difficulties and required urgent evacuation for treatment.
By 12:20 p.m., SAR 272 reached the cruise ship. Rescue personnel and medical staff boarded the vessel, administered emergency care, and transferred both patients onto the rescue ship.
At 3:20 p.m., the patients were safely brought to the Region 3 pier and handed over to relevant authorities and the ship’s representative for transfer to a medical facility for specialized treatment.
