10 Vietnamese fishermen rescued after collision with foreign cargo ship off Con Dao

The provincial Border Guard Command reported the incident on Friday, stating that they had received and supported the fishermen in distress while coordinating with concerned agencies to investigate the case.

Earlier, at around 2:00 am on the same day, while fishing approximately 30 nautical miles northeast of Con Dao, their fishing vessel BV 97879 TS was hit by the Liberian-flagged cargo ship BBC MERCURY.

Following the collision, the fishing boat partially sank, prompting the fishermen to don life jackets, jump into the sea, and cling to the remaining floating part of the vessel, according to Captain Truong Quang Khanh.

Meanwhile, the foreign cargo ship did not stop to provide support but continued its trip, Khanh emphasized.

By 5:10 am on the same day, two other Vietnamese fishing vessels discovered all 10 fishermen and brought the victims on board.

They then reported the incident to local authorities.

Subsequently, the provincial Border Guard Command deployed a rescue boat to the area to receive the rescued fishermen, bringing nine of them back to Con Dao.

Captain Khanh stayed with the rescue vessel to assist in towing the damaged fishing boat back to Con Dao for repairs.

Under the instructions from the command, Khanh has lodged a petition with the Vung Tau Maritime Port Authority and other relevant authorities, requesting an investigation into the hit-and-run collision and seeking compensation.