Vietnamese cargo ship sinks near Spratly Islands, 17 to 23 missing and 39 to 45 rescued in ongoing search
Rescue operations continue in the South China Sea after the Vietnamese cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18 sank near Yongshu Reef on Friday. Conflicting official tallies place the number of missing between 17 and 23, with 39 to 45 crew rescued.
Sinking and distress
Authorities in the Chinese island province of Hainan said the Vietnamese-registered cargo vessel Khoi Nguyen 18, carrying 62 people, sank near Yongshu Reef in the South China Sea on Friday evening. The ship, just under 70 metres long and with a capacity of up to 999 tonnes, encountered bad weather, according to a Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman. All on board were Vietnamese nationals. Chinese authorities were not alerted to the emergency until Saturday evening, roughly 24 hours later, when a distress flare was spotted. It was not immediately clear what cargo the ship was carrying at the time of the sinking.
Distress flare and rescue efforts
State broadcaster CCTV said the Khoi Nguyen 18 ran into trouble near the atoll, which China refers to as Fiery Cross Reef. The Chinese rescue ship Nanhai Jiu 115 detected what Xinhua described as a distress flare from the vessel shortly before 6:30 pm Saturday (1030 GMT). China dispatched six vessels and a rescue helicopter to the area, while Vietnam sent one ship to assist. Rescuers pulled survivors from the water, but the exact tally of those saved and missing differs across three official accounts.
Conflicting numbers
Three different official accounts have emerged. China’s CGTN reported 44 rescued and 18 missing. Xinhua, in an earlier version, said 39 people were saved and 23 remained missing. A Vietnamese foreign ministry spokesman, quoted by N-tv, said 45 crew members had been rescued with Chinese help, leaving 17 still unaccounted for. The multi-agency search, involving six Chinese ships, a helicopter, and one Vietnamese vessel, continued throughout Sunday, in rough seas that complicated the effort. The figures may be revised as operations proceed.
- Another Vietnamese ship sinks near the Spratly Islands; 33 rescued, three missing.
- Khoi Nguyen 18 sinks near Yongshu Reef with 62 people aboard.
- Chinese rescue ship Nanhai Jiu 115 spots distress flare from Khoi Nguyen 18.
- Search ongoing; 39-45 rescued, 17-23 missing. Six Chinese ships, a helicopter, and one Vietnamese vessel involved.
Second sinking adds to the toll
In a separate incident on Friday, another Vietnamese ship sank near the Spratly Islands. Vietnamese state media said 33 crew were rescued, while three remain missing. Both sinkings occurred during rough seas and bad weather, underscoring the perilous conditions for vessels in the crowded waterway. The second vessel’s name was not released.
Territorial backdrop
The South China Sea is one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, with more than 60 percent of globally shipped goods passing through its waters. The Spratly Islands, an archipelago of more than 100 small islands and reefs where Yongshu Reef is located, are claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Brunei. China has constructed artificial islands and militarised its outposts there, ignoring a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that declared its claims had no legal basis. Despite the long-standing territorial disputes, the rescue operation saw rare cooperation between Chinese and Vietnamese forces.
