Singapore Coordinates Rescue Of 25 Crew After Container Ship Distress Alert Off Vietnam

Twenty-five crew members were rescued from the Liberia-registered container ship MSC Hermes III after the vessel sent a distress alert about 300 km east of Vietnam on Sept. 22.

The crew left the ship in a lifeboat after the vessel ran into trouble. MSC Ruby reached the lifeboat and took all 25 crew members on board.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said all the crew members were safe and no injuries were reported.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Singapore received the distress alert at about 8.45 a.m. Singapore time.

MSC Hermes III was within Singapore’s Maritime Search and Rescue Region (MSRR) when the alert was received, the MPA said.

MRCC Singapore then asked nearby vessels to help. Three vessels responded.

MSC Ruby recovered all 25 crew members after they abandoned MSC Hermes III and left the vessel in a lifeboat.

Two other MSC vessels, MSC Ruby and MSC Florentina, were also in the area at the time.

Vessel-tracking data showed MSC Ruby was sailing from Singapore to Ningbo, China. MSC Florentina was travelling from Paranagua, Brazil, to Ningbo.

Both ships were moving at relatively slow speeds, suggesting they may have taken part in the rescue.

MSC Hermes III was sailing from Shanghai to Jakarta when it sent the distress alert.

Singapore’s Maritime Search and Rescue Region covers more than 1 million square kilometres of the South China Sea.

The International Maritime Organization assigns search-and-rescue areas based on regional agreements and a country’s ability to coordinate rescue operations.

MRCC Singapore is working with the Vietnamese MRCC to arrange for the rescued crew members to return safely to shore, the MPA said.

The MPA did not give details about what caused the distress on MSC Hermes III or what happened to the ship after the crew left it.

All 25 crew members were reported safe and had no injuries.

References: straitstimes, asiaone