Vietnamese rescue ship threatened at sea

The rescue ship of the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center Region 2 went to Hoang Sa archipelago to bring the fishermen back to shore but was threatened by a ship with the registration number 841.

On June 3, the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center Region 2 (Danang MRCC), based in Da Nang, provided a video recording the scene of ship number 841, with a large gun mount at the bow, running at high speed straight towards the Danang MRCC's SAR 412 rescue ship to threaten and obstruct the rescue of fishermen in distress.

Ship 841 turned its bow and accelerated, threatening rescue ship SAR 412 while it was bringing fishermen in distress to the mainland. Photo: Provided by Danang MRCC.

Earlier on the evening of May 29, Danang MRCC received a distress signal from fishing boat QNa 90927, which was fishing for squid at coordinates 15.05 north latitude, 115.12 east longitude, southeast of the Hoang Sa archipelago. Fisherman Pham Thanh Ngoc on the boat was stunned, had difficulty breathing, and was in critical condition. Danang MRCC dispatched ship SAR 412 to bring a doctor to the rescue.

At 0:30 on June 1, SAR 412 was about 8 nautical miles from Tri Ton Island (in the Hoang Sa archipelago) when a ship with an unknown registration number appeared about 100 meters away. This ship called via SAR 412's communication device, requesting to change direction. "We responded via radio that this was a Vietnamese rescue ship on its way to rescue fishermen, resolutely not changing direction and requested that no obstruction be made," SAR 412 captain Phan Xuan Son recounted.

According to Captain Son, this ship followed SAR 412 for about 30 minutes before moving away. Early in the morning of June 1, SAR 412 approached QNa 90927 at a location more than 300 nautical miles from Da Nang. Doctors promptly gave Mr. Ngoc oxygen and transferred him to SAR 412 to bring him ashore.

Captain Phan Xuan Son shows the coordinates of the threatened Vietnamese ship. Photo: Nguyen Dong.

At 10:30 a.m. the same day, ship number 841 appeared near ship SAR 412, then suddenly accelerated from 4-5 nautical miles/hour to 19-20 nautical miles/hour, heading straight towards the side of ship SAR 412. When about 80 to 100 meters away, the strange ship slowed down and changed direction to run parallel to SAR 412 and only stopped when the rescue ship passed Tri Ton island about 15 nautical miles.

"When encountering each other at sea, ships must communicate via the communication system to avoid collision, not ramming into other ships like that. This is a threatening act, disregarding international maritime principles," Captain Phan Xuan Son affirmed.

Doctors said that when patient Ngoc reached shore, he had dilated cardiomyopathy, chest pain, difficulty breathing, abdominal distension, leg swelling... and was at risk of death if not treated promptly.

In February 2015, SAR 412 was also surrounded and threatened by naval ships, coast guard ships, and military aircraft while rescuing six fishermen from Binh Dinh whose shipwreck occurred in the Chim En reef area, part of the Hoang Sa archipelago.

Video: Ship 841 obstructs civilian ship from rescuing people

According to VNE