Photo: a screenshot of a footage of the rescue operation

According to the Sansha city authorities in South China's Hainan Province, a Vietnamese vessel, the KHOI NGUYEN 18, sank after encountering distress in waters near Yongshu Reef in the Nansha Islands on July 25. As of now, 44 people have been rescued. 

China has dispatched six vessels and one rescue helicopter to assist in the operation, and one Vietnamese ship is also participating in the on-site search and rescue effort. 

According to the Sansha maritime search and rescue authorities, the distressed vessel was the Vietnamese-flagged KHOI NGUYEN 18, measuring 69.9 meters in length and 10.8 meters in width, with 62 people on board.

China and Vietnam have set up a joint, unified search and rescue command system. The Chinese rescue vessel Nanhai Jiu 115 is serving as the on-site commander. Rescue forces from both countries have demonstrated strong overall coordination, regional synergy, and efficient collaboration, according to Sansha authorities.

Global Times learned more details of the rescue from Sansha maritime search and rescue authorities on Sunday at noon. 

On Saturday, at 6:53 pm, the research and rescue authorities received an alert from the Hainan Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Center, which stated that at 6:23 pm the same day, the Chinese rescue vessel Nanhai Jiu 115, while sailing back to Sanya, spotted a life raft and rescued 29 Vietnamese nationals on board.

According to the rescued individuals, the distressed vessel was the Vietnamese-flagged ship KHOI NGUYEN 18. The vessel sank after encountering distress on Friday night in waters approximately 220 nautical miles east of Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. 

There were 62 Vietnamese nationals on board who urgently required assistance.

Upon receiving the alert, the Sansha maritime search and rescue authorities immediately activated their emergency plan. A unified search and rescue command system was quickly established with Vietnamese vessels on site, enabling coordinated deployment of forces, regional collaboration, and highly efficient cooperation. 

The center also notified relevant military, police, and civilian units and set up a three-level command linkage mechanism involving provincial, city, and district levels.

The Nanhai Jiu 115 was designated as the on-scene command vessel, coordinating with the Nanhai Jiu 113, rescue helicopters, coast guard vessels, and other forces to conduct search-and-rescue operations. 

Navigational alerts were issued to alert nearby vessels, coordinating with them to participate in the rescue efforts. Additionally, the South China Sea Forecasting Center under the Ministry of Natural Resources was asked to produce drift prediction models for personnel in the water to guide the search plan. 

Satellite imagery was also used to help locate survivors, while passing ships were reminded to maintain a sharp lookout and report any sightings immediately.

As of 11:00 am on July 26, Chinese rescue forces had successfully rescued 44 Vietnamese nationals. Search-and rescue-operations are still underway.

In response to a question from Global Times reporters, a staff member from the Sansha maritime search and rescue authorities revealed that six more Vietnamese vessels had joined the rescue efforts as of Sunday noon, and fortunately, the typhoon Noul has not impacted the rescue operation.