Terrifying sea voyages told by fishermen returning from death's door

At 1:30 a.m. on April 5, SAR-411 ship carrying 19 crew members of the Quynh Phuong fishing boat that had an accident docked at Nghi Son International General Port amid mixed feelings of joy and sadness from relatives.

From 1am on April 5, many relatives and authorities were waiting to welcome the 19 fishermen back. Photo: Dinh Trang

Officers and soldiers of the border guards of Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces, staff at Nghi Son International Port Authority, doctors and nurses from Hoang Mai Town Medical Center and relatives took turns putting the injured fishermen into the car, performing first aid on the spot and moving the car to provide emergency care to the seriously injured.

Fishermen Nguyen Van Thiet, Ho Duc Phi, Ho Minh Hieu, Hoang Van Thuong, Nguyen Van Ho... although they suffered minor injuries from the collision, the wounds were not serious, but because of drifting at sea, hunger, cold, fighting the waves, there were times when they were desperate, thinking of leaving themselves at sea, so their faces were still not recovered from fear.

Many fishermen's faces were blank as they waited for the ship to dock. Photo: Dinh Trang

The other 7 fishermen who were seriously injured were almost exhausted and lying motionless on stretchers. Among them, fishermen Bui Van Vien, Pham Van Viet, Nguyen Van Sy, Nguyen Van Thuy were the most seriously injured. In Viet's case, he was quickly taken to the emergency room and treated at Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi as soon as he landed.

The atmosphere at Nghi Son International Port became extremely tense as the morning progressed, making the witnesses feel suffocated. The scene of fishermen’s relatives running after the stretcher to find their loved ones, then bursting into tears when they saw their loved ones lying unconscious due to injuries, and some people bursting into tears because they had not seen their loved ones. The scene of an old father being overjoyed when he saw his two tired sons walking with difficulty from the rescue ship to shore. Mixed emotions, sadness, joy, pain, disappointment… made the night seem even longer.

First aid was given to the fishermen promptly. Photo: Dinh Trang

At 4 a.m. on April 5, the last bus carrying relatives and the least injured fishermen left the port and returned to Hoang Mai town. Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, father of captain Nguyen Van Thuy, said:“The best thing is that you have returned safely. It is sad that the ship sank, but human life is more precious, and people still have property. Now we have to take care of and treat you so that you can recover quickly, then continue to go to sea to make a living. It is a job, a career, so just keep going.”

Captain Hoang Van Manh, still in shock, recounted: At nearly 5 a.m. on April 4, our two ships were lit up, anchored at 19 degrees 47 minutes North - 106 degrees 59 minutes South, 20 meters apart, when they were suddenly sunk by an iron-hulled ship. All crew members were thrown into the water by a great force. Some of the crew members, after falling into the sea, managed to swim toward the sinking ship and managed to grab some life jackets.

After regaining their composure, some of the stronger crew members used their strength to capsize the sampan that was stuck in the side of the ship floating on the water.

Crew members recount the trip on April 4. Photo: Nguyen Van

Mr. Manh choked:“We told each other that it was a matter of life and death, so we had to try our best. The four of us climbed onto a sampan and swam to find the ship. After about 2 or 3 nautical miles, we were almost exhausted when we luckily met fishing boats of Thanh Hoa fishermen. They sent out a distress signal and reported to Quynh Phuong Border Guard Station… After that, the station contacted fishing boats of Hoang Mai operating in that area to come help, then the ship of the Search Center of Area 1 came to rescue and take us to the rescue ship. It took more than half a day to find the rescue ship.”

As soon as receiving the news that 19 fishermen had returned safely, the working delegation of Nghe An province, Hoang Mai town, the town's Fatherland Front, and the Border Guard station visited, encouraged, and gave support money to the seriously injured fishermen who were being treated at the Hoang Mai town Medical Center.

Comrade Dinh Viet Hong and leaders of Hoang Mai town visited and gave support money to Mr. Nguyen Van Thuy - owner of the ship that was in distress. Photo: Thu Hien

The delegation also visited Captain Hoang Van Phuong, Tan Tien block and felt heavy-hearted when he shared: in 30 years of working at sea, he only went as a peer, meaning working for other ships. In 2017, he and his brother pooled their savings to buy an old ship NA 94281 for more than 1.4 billion VND. After buying the ship, they repaired and upgraded it to about 2 billion VND. After only 1 year of production, his wife was found to be seriously ill and had to undergo emergency surgery in Hanoi. After more than 20 days of treatment, she was still not discharged from the hospital.

Due to difficult conditions, he discussed with his nephew Hoang Van Manh to take the helm and go fishing with the hope of earning enough money to take care of his wife's medical treatment. Unexpectedly, the ship had just set sail when it encountered an accident. The luckiest thing now is that all the crew members on board survived and returned home, including his two sons. But it was also heartbreaking because the ship was stuck at sea, not knowing how to pay off the debt.

Ship owner Hoang Van Phuong and his relatives look for documents, worried when the ship is left at sea. Photo: Nguyen Van

For fishermen, their greatest asset is their boat, their means of earning a living. After the joy of saving their lives comes sadness and worry when their assets are lost at sea, and how the empty-handed fishermen will manage the upcoming debts.

What is more worth mentioning is that currently, for many different reasons, ship owners like Mr. Phuong and Mr. Thuy still do not prioritize purchasing hull insurance and crew insurance, so in times of risk like this, difficulties pile up on difficulties.

On an early summer day, the fishing village of Phuong Can happily welcomed the return of 19 surviving fishermen, but there were still heavy sighs somewhere, because of the difficulties they would face tomorrow.