36 fishermen safely rescued after boat breaks down near Truong Sa

Fisheries surveillance forces successfully rescued and towed a fishing vessel with 36 fishermen onboard after it suffered an engine failure while operating in waters of Truong Sa special zone of south-central Khanh Hoa province.

According to Fisheries Surveillance Team No. 4, vessel KN475 was promptly dispatched to assist fishing boat QNg 90251 TS, captained by Nguyen Duy Thanh, a resident of Binh Son commune, Quang Ngai province. The vessel had departed Son Can port on March 3 for a squid fishing trip.

At around 14:00 on April 4, while operating southwest of An Bang island in Truong Sa special zone, the boat experienced a serious engine malfunction that left it unable to manoeuvre. Despite efforts by the crew to repair the damage, the problem could not be resolved. The captain then contacted the Nha Trang Coastal Radio Station and issued an emergency distress signal requesting assistance.

Upon receiving the alert, KN475 immediately headed to the scene. By 0:30 on April 5, fisheries surveillance officers had reached the stranded vessel and deployed a support team to assess the situation. Initial inspections confirmed that all 36 fishermen were safe and in stable health.

Technical checks later identified the cause of the failure as damage to the control rack of the high-pressure fuel pump, a fault that could not be repaired at sea. Given the circumstances, rescue forces decided to tow the vessel to a safe location for further handling.

At 8:00 the same day, KN475 began towing the disabled fishing boat toward Da Tay A island. The towing operation was carried out safely, and by 18:30 both the vessel and its crew had arrived at the island without incident, where repairs and additional support procedures were arranged.