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), which is run by MPA, was informed by the container vessel Nicolai Maersk, which is a ship with a registered in Hong Kong, that it had received a distress call from the 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 it distributed maritime channels to nearby arteries to keep an eye out for observations of Dolphin 18 and report observations of dolphins.
Additionally, it informed its Asian peers about the event.
Soon after, Nicolai Maersk arrived at the scene and safely rescued all 18 Vietnamese crew members from lifeboats.
” All rescued crew were found to be in healthy condition” , , said MPA.
Dolphin 18 reportedly sunk, and the MRCC is issuing a maritime spread to warn approaching ships to use precaution in the area.
The staff members of Dolphin 18 may depart when Nicolai Maersk makes slot in Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia.