The Viet Nam Maritime Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre is mobilising efforts and has called for support from all vessels to participate in the search for nine missing crewmen.

Petrolimex 14, one of the vessels participating in the rescue and search for nine missing crewmen after their cargo ship - the Hai Thanh 26 - sank off Vung Tau City. 

The crewmen were part of a cargo ship that sank on Tuesday in the Vung Tau Sea.

At about 4.37am on the same day, the centre received an emergency rescue signal from the Hai Thanh 26, some 44 nautical miles east of Vung Tau City in southern coastal Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

The centre immediately asked the Petrolimes 14 - another vessel sailing some five nautical miles near the signal site -- to come to the area. At the same time, the centre also informed two other vessels - SAR413 and SAR 272 - to reach the area to support the rescue.

Arriving at the area, Petrolimex 14 found a breeches-buoy with two crewmen on board. Both were rescued. 

One of the crewmen said the other crewmen of Hai Thanh 26 had drifted away on another breeches-buoy.

The Petrolimex and two vessels continued their search around until they found another breaches-buoy at about 8.10am, but there was no one on board.

According to Hoang Tien Khoi, one of the two crewmen rescued by the Petrolimex 14, the Hải Thành 26 - a cargo ship with some 3,000-tonne transport capacity - sank at midnight on Monday after colliding with another cargo ship in the Vung Tau Sea.

The accident occurred when the cargo ship with 11 crewmen and clinker on board was sailing from northern Hai Phong City to southern Can Tho City, Khoi said. 

VNS