Singaporean ship collides with Vietnamese fishing boat: 8 people rescued

It is expected that on the morning of September 17, the survivors of the accident between the Sima Sapphire ship and a Vietnamese fishing boat will be brought ashore in Vung Tau City.

>>Urgent search for 7 fishermen in case of cargo ship hitting fishing boat

On the afternoon of September 16, Vung Tau Maritime Port Authority requested the container ship Sima Sapphire and its crew to enter Vung Tau so that authorities could investigate and determine the cause of the collision.

According to Mr. Le Van Chien, Director of Vung Tau Maritime Port Authority, it is expected that at around 9:30 p.m. on September 16, the Sima Sapphire ship will arrive at buoy number 0 in Vung Tau waters to anchor.

The Sima Sapphire will carry the 6 rescued fishermen of the fishing boat TG 92819 TS to shore for handover. Previously, 2 fishermen (out of 8 fishermen rescued by the Sima Sapphire) were received by the SAR 272 and taken ashore for treatment due to their serious injuries.

Sima Sapphire ship - Photo: shipspotting.com/ hanh Nien

Mr. Le Van Chien, Director of Vung Tau Maritime Port Authority, said that the surviving fishermen are currently receiving medical care on the Sima Sapphire. This cargo ship must stay at the scene to coordinate the search and rescue, until it can no longer be searched, then return to Vung Tau to return the fishermen and provide information and documents to the authorities to investigate and determine the cause of the accident. The accident happened at night, in the middle of the ocean, so it is difficult to determine the cause. Based on the traces at the scene, it is initially determined that the two ships collided. The fishing boat went from the sea to the shore, while the cargo ship went from the inside out, both sides had poor observation, could not see each other and crashed. "The two ships were operating normally but collided, it was human error, due to poor observation. To determine the exact cause, we must collect the black box of the Sima Sapphire and take statements from the crew members involved," Mr. Chien affirmed.

Also according to Vung Tau Maritime Port Authority, 2 helicopters were dispatched by the Search and Rescue Committee, but due to bad weather and low visibility, they could not reach the sunken ship's location, so they returned to the mainland.

Previously, at around 3:00 a.m. on September 16, a cargo ship named Sima Sapphire (Singaporean nationality) traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Malaysia suddenly collided with a Vietnamese fishing boat. The accident occurred at Latitude 9.4295°, Longitude: 107.2179°. The fishing boat TG-92819 sank at a depth of 31 - 34 meters of water in the waters of Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

The sunken fishing boat was owned by Mr. Nguyen Van Hon (residing in Tan My Chanh commune, My Tho city, Tien Giang province). Mr. Hon was also present in Vung Tau city to coordinate and provide information about the people and the boat in distress.

The Sima Sapphire ship that caused the accident is designed to carry containers and was built in 2006. The ship is 170m long and 25m wide. The ship's tonnage is approximately 20,000 tons.

It is expected that on the morning of September 17, the survivors and 1 body will be brought ashore. Currently, the rescue work is still continuing./.

List of 8 rescued crew members:

1 - Vo Van Tien
2 - Nguyen Van Thanh
3 - Nguyen Van Be
4 - Nguyen Van Chien
5 - Huynh Van Hai
6 – Dang Thanh Duoc
7 – Nguyen Van Hong
8 - Vo Van Nhiem

According to vov.vn - LT