Fishing boat engine died, 7 fishermen in distress at sea

On the afternoon of January 7, rescue ship CN 09 of Squadron 2, Nghe An Border Guard successfully towed and brought Mr. Dong Van Duong's fishing boat and 7 crew members to safety.The ship was safely docked at Lach Quen port, Quynh Luu district.

Nghe An Border Guard organized to welcome fishermen to shore on the afternoon of January 7. Photo: Le Thach

Previously, at 8:30 a.m. on January 4, the Nghe An Border Guard Command received information from Ben Thuy Coastal Information Station: Vessel number NA 95038TS with 7 crew members was in distress.

Giving gifts to fishermen on the ship in distress. Photo: Le Thach

Specifically: The fishing vessel departing from Lach Thoi on December 25, 2018, captained by Mr. Dong Van Duong (born in 1986, residing in Hamlet 2, Son Hai Commune, Quynh Luu District), is operating at coordinates: 19⁰15'N – 106⁰35'E (about 50 nautical miles east of Lach Con, Quynh Luu district, Nghe An) had a main engine failure and was forced to drift at a speed of 0.7 nautical miles/hour.

The weather is Northeast wind level 5, the vehicle has been on the road for 13 days and has run out of food and water; the weather may have bad developments affecting the safety of the vehicle and the lives of fishermen, the captain requested urgent rescue.

Ship CN 09 of Squadron 2, Nghe An Border Guard, departed to carry out its mission on the afternoon of January 4. Photo: Phuong Linh

Immediately after receiving the information, the Nghe An Border Guard Command reported to the Military Region 4 General Staff, the Border Guard Command General Staff, the Standing Office of the Nghe An Provincial PCTT-TKCN Command and the contracted forces for coordination in implementation; At the same time, the Nghe An Border Guard Command directed the coastal units to coordinate with local authorities to notify the owners of vehicles and captains operating at sea about the information that the NA - 95038 - TS vehicle had a broken main engine to provide support; Using TKCN information, the Border Guard regularly contacted the vehicle with a broken engine to reassure the fishermen.

Implementing the direction of the Standing Office of the Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control of Nghe An province at 2:00 p.m. on January 6, the Nghe An Border Guard Command ordered ship CN 09 and 15 officers and soldiers of Squadron 2 to launch a search and rescue mission.

At 11pm the same day, the rescue ship approached the NA-95038-TS ship that was drifting at sea. The rescue ship's officers and soldiers shared food, water, and encouraged the fishermen and promptly organized a tow to pull the ship back to shore.