Ship sinking in Nghe An: Divers and trawlers mobilized to search for 4 missing crew members

(Baonghean.vn) - In an interview with Nghe An Newspaper on the afternoon of July 18, Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh - Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center said that on July 19, divers will be sent to search for the missing crew members of the VTB 26 ship.

Reporter:Could you please tell us about the search for the 4 missing crew members of the VTB26 ship today?

Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh:Over the past two days, we have coordinated with the Border Guard, the Provincial Military Command, and the militia of the communes to patrol along the coast. At sea, today, there are basically a lot of search vehicles, covering the area we plan to search.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh - Deputy General Director of Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center. Photo: Pham Bang

As for the Hon Ngu island area, the North, Northwest, and South areas have many rocky areas. These are places where we think the crew members could swim or drift to. Right now, the border patrol ship continues to patrol the Hon Ngu island area.

Another option, if it is too difficult when the waves are big and the tide is high, the victim may be pushed into the high cliff on the northwest side of Hon Ngu island. We are considering using a flycam to check the area with many rocky reefs.

Reporter:As of 6pm on July 18, the four missing crew members have not been found. Can you tell us about the search plan for July 19?

Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh:Tomorrow, we will continue to maintain today's means and expand the search area; at the same time, check the possibility of brothers being trapped and floating to continue the search and rescue.

We have planned two options for July 19. At 6am, divers will enter the ship's hold to check because based on professional and scientific measures and interviews with witnesses, we see that there is a high possibility that the crew is trapped on the ship.

Authorities discuss search and rescue plan for 4 crew members tomorrow (July 19). Photo: Thanh Duy

The results of the divers’ search of the ship are expected to be available by 10am. If we do not find or do not find enough missing crew members, we will send three pairs of trawlers to scan the seabed to search for the crew members.

This afternoon, we are preparing all measures to prepare for two operations tomorrow. The rescue forces are still maintaining normal search operations.

Reporter:Can you tell us about the difficulties in searching and rescuing the crew of the VTB26 ship?

Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh:The first difficulty was that at the time of the accident, the storm changed rapidly, with strong gusts and waves up to 5m high in the area where the ship sank. All vehicles in the Cua Lo area had to enter the storm shelter and could not leave. At 5pm yesterday (July 17), the vehicles were able to go out to sea and join the rescue work. Vehicles from other places were transferred and the ships at the scene were immediately mobilized. The most difficult part was mobilization.

As for the specialized maritime rescue ship team, we accept to travel in extremely difficult weather conditions, with strong winds and waves, to reach the scene in time. Other means of transport can only arrive at the scene when weather conditions permit.

There are many rescue plans, prioritized in order. First, to save the lives of the crew, we urgently work every hour and every minute. Second, in case the chances of survival are decreasing, however, we are very hopeful that because our brothers are trained, they will have the equipment and skills to survive at sea. Therefore, we focus on conducting a large-scale search based on information about the currents in the hope of finding people who are still alive. Finally, to find people who are lost, there are many plans./.

Reporter:Thank you!

Thanh Duy - Pham Bang