The 1,000-tonne SOKOL from Russia was adrift, with six crew members on board, off the coast after its engine failed on December 7. (Photo: VNA)

The 1,000-tonne SOKOL was adrift, with six crew members on board, off the coast after its engine failed on December 7.

Upon receiving reports of the incident, Vietnam’s Submarine Brigade 189 dispatched Ship 991 on a mission to rescue the disabled ship. Ship 991 itself experienced an engine breakdown due to large waves while attempting to approach SOKOL.

It managed to fix the problems at around midnight on December 8 and ultimately approached and safely towed the SOKOL to Ba Ngoi Port in Cam Ranh City by noon the following day.

All of the Russian crewmembers are in a stable condition.

Prior to this, Ship 991 had successfully saved four domestic vessels and three others from Japan, Singapore, and Mongolia./.VNA