Journey to rescue fishermen in distress at sea on the eve of Tet

(Baonghean.vn) - 'If there had not been timely rescue, we do not know what would have happened to our lives, and we would not have been able to return home to celebrate Tet with our relatives and neighbors'.

At noon on January 26 (ie 29th of the Lunar New Year), fishing boat NA 95490 TS and 7 fishermen (all from Quynh Ngoc commune, Quynh Luu district) were in distress at sea and were rescued safely to shore by the fleet of Squadron 2, Nghe An Provincial Border Guard. The fishermen returned to the joy of their relatives and neighbors.

Rescue ship BP 06.19.01 of Squadron 2, Nghe An Provincial Border Guard is pulling the distressed ship to shore. Photo: Le Thach

On behalf of the fishermen who had just been rescued, Captain Nguyen Anh Tuan emotionally said: “We are very grateful to the Border Guard force, especially the officers and soldiers of the CN-09 ship, who did not mind the dark night, big waves, and strong winds to quickly approach and bring us back to the mainland safely. Without the timely rescue, we do not know what would have happened to our lives, and we would not have been able to return home to celebrate Tet with our relatives and neighbors. We are very grateful to you guys.”

Previously, at 8:05 a.m. on January 25 (ie 28th of the Lunar New Year of Dinh Dau), the fishing boat with license plate NA 95490 TS, captained by Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan (born in 1964, permanent resident of hamlet 12, Quynh Ngoc commune, Quynh Luu district), while fishing at coordinates: 19007'N - 106025'E (about 45 nautical miles from shore), had a technical problem that caused the engine to stop working, the boat lost control, which was very dangerous for the safety of the fishermen.

At that time, just one big wave would have put everything at the bottom of the deep sea. The ship sent out a distress signal, seeking help from other ships, local authorities and functional forces.

Upon receiving information about a ship in distress, the Nghe An Border Guard Command directed maritime units to coordinate with local authorities and the family of the ship in distress to notify vehicle owners and captains operating at sea of ​​the location of the ship in distress so that they can come to assist and search and rescue.

The weather at sea at that time was bad, the sea was rough, making it impossible for fishing boats operating nearby to approach the ship in distress. At the same time, fishing boats on shore, because they were not equipped with specialized rescue equipment, did not dare to "risk" going out to sea to rescue the ship in distress.

At 9:00 p.m. the same day, the Border Guard Command of Nghe An province mobilized ship CN 09 with registration number BP 06.19.01 of Squadron 2, consisting of 15 officers and soldiers carrying food, provisions, and necessary equipment, led by Captain Le Xuan Huong - Deputy Squadron Commander as squadron leader, to urgently set out to rescue the distressed ship. During the process of approaching the distressed ship, through the communication system, officers and soldiers of ship CN 09 always encouraged the fishermen to stay calm and use anti-capsize methods to ensure safety.

Nghe An Border Guard Command gives gifts to encourage fishermen. Photo: Le Thach

After more than 5 hours at sea, at 2:15 a.m. on January 26 (29th of the Lunar New Year), the rescue ship approached the distressed ship. Immediately after approaching, despite the darkness of the night in the middle of the vast ocean, the officers and soldiers quickly got to work hooking cables and towing ropes to tow the distressed ship.

More specifically, when they learned that the fishermen were running out of food, the officers and soldiers of BP 06.19.01 shared boxes of instant noodles and food to relieve hunger for the fishermen. Immediately after that, the medical team examined and took care of the health of 7 fishermen. After that, they organized a towage and rescue of the ship in distress and brought the fishermen to Lach Quen fishing port (Quynh Thuan, Quynh Luu) to the great joy of their relatives.

After returning from the rescue mission of fishermen in distress at sea, the officers and soldiers of the rescue ship of Squadron 2 were all exhausted, but their faces were radiant with joy because they had brought the crew members safely to shore. The rescue of 7 fishermen on the NA 95490 TS ship above was just one of the countless missions of Squadron 2, ready to rescue fishermen in distress at sea.

Captain Le Xuan Huong - Deputy Commander of Squadron 2, who directly commanded the sea voyages rolling in the storm with officers and soldiers in most of the rescue and relief missions, said: In just the past month: the unit has conducted 4 successful rescue missions to rescue fishermen in distress at sea. Rescuing 3 fishing boats and 37 fishermen and bringing them safely to shore.

“As soldiers, regardless of the darkness, rain, wind, or storm, whenever we receive an order, we quickly dispatch ships to the place where fishermen are in distress because at that time they need us the most…”, Captain Huong shared.

Hung Phong