Vietnam Maritime Rescue Force: A protection shield for fishermen at sea
WVR - The sea is calm but also fierce. While the sea is the "home" of fishermen, sometimes there are many dangers at sea that threaten the lives of people who depend on the sea.
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| Vietnam Maritime Rescue Force: A protection shield for fishermen at sea. (Photo: Courtesy) |
Yet in the vast ocean, Vietnamese fishermen are never alone, as they always have orange-shirted servicemen accompanying them at all coordinates, come whenever fishermen need rescue. Those orange-shirted rescuers are servicemen from the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center, a unit whose mission is to protect fishermen at sea.
Mission to search and rescue
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (Vietnam MRCC) was established on October 2, 1996 under Decision No. 2628 QD/TCCB-LD of the Minister of Transport and was re-organized and operated according to Decision No. 1252/QD-BGTVT of the Minister of Transpor dated October 5, 2023 t.
As a humanitarian unit under the Vietnam Maritime Administration, Ministry of Transport, assigned by the State to perform the function of presiding over and coordinating search and rescue activities in Vietnam's waters, except for seaport water, prohibited and restricted areas at sea; is Vietnam's national focal point agency responsible for coordinating and participating in cooperative search and rescue activities at sea with countries and international organizations in accordance with Vietnamese law and international treaties which Vietnam adhere and participates in.
The Center ensures to maintain permanent operations 24/7, ready to promptly receive and effectively process 100% of information related to maritime accidents and incidents in waters responsible for search and rescue of Vietnam.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center has its headquarter in Hanoi and the 4 Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centers for Regions I, II, III and IV which are based in Hai Phong, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Vung Tau.
Every year, the Center receives and handles 350-500 cases related to maritime accidents and incidents, rescuing and supporting thousands of people and hundreds of domestic and foreign ships in distress within waters of responsibility of Vietnam, contributing to minimizing damage caused by accidents and incidents across the country, affirming Vietnam's territorial sovereignty and international reputation.
In recent years, search and rescue activities at sea have achieved positive results, such as saving and supporting all people in distress at sea, regardless of nationality, religion, conditions and circumstancesm, being a spiritual support for seafarers.
From those efforts, Vietnam has established international reputation and trust in its search and rescue system at sea with high efficiency and reliability, while contributing to affirming the country's sovereignty over the seas and islands; Demonstrates Vietnam's responsibility as a maritime country to implement international treaties to which Vietnam is a member or recognized.
Treat victims as their own relatives
Responding to the press recently, Mr. Nguyen Bao Anh, Director of the Center for Coordination of Maritime Search and Rescue Region III, shared that the current Maritime Rescue Force works in the spirit of "treating victims as their own relatives".
There have been many touching stories about SAR ship rescuers experiencing countless storms and harsh circumstances, exceeding the limits of human and ship strength to promptly rescue people and ships on the sea.
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| Vietnam Maritime Rescue Force: A protection shield for fishermen at sea. (Photo: Vietnam MRCC) |
Most recently, on November 23, Ship SAR 412 belonging to the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center safely docked at Border Guard Squadron 48 (Binh Dinh) wharf and handed over all 39 crew members with ship QNg 90251 TS for People's Committee of Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province.
Previously, at 6:00 p.m. on November 20, 2023, the ship QNg 90251 TS included 39 crew members led by Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh (permanent resident in Binh Chanh commune, Binh Son district, Quang Ngai province), while on board in the waters between Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) of Vietnam, had engine failure, the ship lost navigation under bad weather conditions and was punctured by large waves in the ship's bow, causing a lot of water to flood into the ship, causing the ship to sink quickly. Realizing that the weather was dangerous and large waves could cause the ship to capsize, Captain Nguyen Duy Thanh contacted the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center to request urgent rescue.
At 11:21 p.m. the same day, the maritime rescue force approached the ship QNg 90251 TS, deployed rescue workers on board to pump anti-submersible and connect the tow line to ship SAR 412. Ship SAR 412 Deploying support to tow the ship QNg 90251 TS out of the dangerous area and on its journey to the mainland to keep assets for crew members.
Regarding international missions, the largest rescue incident with foreign element and the most challenging was the timely rescue campaign for 303 Sri Lankan nationals drifting in the waters of the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.
In early November 2022, the fishing boat Lady R3, under the Myanmar flag, carried 303 Sri Lankan citizens from Myanmar to Canada, arriving at a location about 258 nautical miles southeast of Vung Tau cape, in the area.of Vietnam's Truong Sa archipelago, had a problem with water flooding into the engine room. At 3:05 p.m. on November 7, 2022, the Center detected the Helios Leader ship (Japanese nationality, call sign 7JFI) sailing in the vicinity and requested the ship to change its course to urgently seek to rescue Lady R3 ship.
Under the guidance of the Coordination Center, the Helios Leader ship took the necessary safety measures, welcomed the victims to the ship, provided with initial care and first aid, then brought all 303 people (including 264 men, 19 women, 20 children) to ship and returned to Vung Tau. In Vung Tau, the Center coordinated with relevant agencies to dispatch ship SAR 413 to conduct 2 trips, supporting all 303 Sri Lankan citizens from the Helios Leader ship to Vietsovpetro port (Vung Tau) for handover for authorities.
Those are just two among the countless stories about the orange-shirted servicemen silently dedicating themselves amid the fierceness of the sea to protect the lives of fishermen, serving as a fulcrum for fishermen and boats sailing through Vietnamese waters.
