Rescue the crew of m/v Giang Anh 18 that crashed into a shallow rock and sunk

At 05:15 on March 24, 2024, m/v Giang Anh 18 with 09 crew members on board (Mr. Hoang Manh Tien was the captain) carried 2,960 tons of cement from Hai Phong to Chu Lai. When the vessel passed position 15º 54.056' N - 108º 31.124' E (about 0.53 nautical miles from Hon Tai Island, Cu Lao Cham, Hoi An), she crashed into a shallow rock, was flooded, listed 35º - 40º to the port, in danger of sinking, the crew on board was in panic after lots of unsuccessful attempts to fix and save the ship. The captain of m/v Giang Anh 18 required Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (the Center) emergency assistance.

Immediately after receiving the distress alert, the Center encouraged and reassured the crew, instructed crew members to wear life jackets and safe methods when abandoning the ship, and at the same time coordinated with coordinated forces to support the distressed vessel. Faced with a serious life-threatening emergency of 09 crew members of m/v Giang Anh 18, Mr. Bui Van Minh, General Director of the Center, immediately dispatched SAR 274 (in Da Nang city) to urgently leave the port for rescue.

At 07:27, SAR 274 arrived at the scene and approached m/v Giang Anh 18, and urgently launched the workboat to transfer 04 crew members who were in panic to the rescue vessel. SAR 274’s rescue workers provided medical care, encouraged and reassured the crew in distress and coordinated with the  Quang Nam Border Guards to rescue the remaining 5 crew members and transfer them to Cu Lao Cham island.

At 9:54 a.m., SAR 274 transferred 04 crew members of m/v Giang Anh 18 to Cu Lao Cham island to hand over to Quang Nam Border Guards and continue to stay in the affected area to coordinate with the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue & Civil Defense of Quang Nam province and the Quang Nam Border Guards survey and prepare plans to prevent oil spills and marine environmental pollution.

At the handover ceremony, the Center's General Director sent words of encouragement from the Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Director of the Vietnam Maritime Administration to the rescued crew members and emphasized that this was an extremely dangerous case that endangered the life of the distressed vessel’s crew. However, the rescue force promptly responded, showing their determination to save people in distress./.

Rescue force approached m/v Giang Anh 18

Crew members were brought to SAR 274

The rescue team took the crew members in distress back to shore safely and handed them over to the authorities