Costamare Boxship Rescues Crew from Burning Tanker off Vietnam

 

The Vietnam Maritime Authority is reporting a successful search and rescue operation for 20 crewmembers from a burning tanker off its coast. The notification came in at midday on Friday, August 8, that the Vietnamese-flagged tanker GT Unity (7,631 dwt) was experiencing an electrical fire with 20 crewmembers aboard.

The tanker, which was built in 2008, was carrying 3,872 tons of crude oil. It was sailing from Malaysia to the Vietnamese port of Dung Quat. Its position was placed between 104 nautical miles southwest of Con Dao and 191 nautical miles from the Vang Tau cape in southern Vietnam, in the region of Ho Chi Minh City.

The Costamare-owned containership Androusa (53,439 dwt) was in range and was asked by the Vietnamese authorities to assist. The vessel, which is operating under charter, was sailing from China bound for Singapore.

The Vietnamese authorities also alerted the Navy and Coast Guard. A patrol boat was dispatched from Vung Tau. They also asked the crew of a drilling rig near the site to participate in the rescue.

 

 

The containership reached the burning tanker and reports that 16 of the 20 crewmembers have abandoned ship. The containership was able to rescue all 20 of the crewmembers.

The patrol boat was due to reach the scene and was going to be used to evacuate the injured crewmembers. One person was reported in critical condition.

The director of the Vietnam Maritime and Waterways Administration, Le Do Muoi, said they would be awarding a certificate of merit to the captain and crew of the Androusa for promptly recognizing the need and their responsible actions in this incident. The owner of the GT Unity has been instructed to arrange for vessels to extinguish the fire and salvage the drifting vessel.