Singapore coordinates rescue of 18 crew members on Vietnam-registered ship

SINGAPORE: All 18 crew members on board a sinking Vietnam-registered freighter were rescued on Saturday (Jan 11) morning with the help of Singapore authorities, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), operated by MPA, was alerted by Hong Kong-registered container vessel Nicolai Maersk that it had received a distress call from Vietnam-registered freighter Dolphin 18.

The Vietnamese ship was reported to be about 274 nautical miles (507km) southwest of Vung Tau, Vietnam, and was within Singapore's maritime search and rescue region.

The MRCC coordinated the search and rescue, and issued navigational broadcasts for vessels in the area to keep a lookout and report sightings of Dolphin 18.

It also alerted its Vietnamese counterparts about the incident.

Nicolai Maersk arrived at the scene shortly after and successfully rescued all 18 Vietnamese crew members of Dolphin 18 from lifeboats.

"All rescued crew were found to be in healthy condition," said MPA.

Dolphin 18 was reported to have sunk, and the MRCC is issuing a navigational broadcast for passing ships to navigate with caution in the area.

The crew members of Dolphin 18 will disembark when Nicolai Maersk makes port in Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia.