All 20 crew members aboard the Vietnamese oil tanker GT Unity were successfully rescued on August 8 following a fire in the vessel’s engine room.
The incident was reported at 11:52 a.m. by the Liberian-flagged ship Androusa and the Cospas-Sarsat station.
The fire, reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit, occurred approximately 104 nautical miles south-southeast of Con Dao and 191 nautical miles south-southeast of Vung Tau Cape.
At the time of the incident, GT Unity was transporting 3,872 tonnes of FO crude oil from Malaysia to Dung Quat in Quang Ngai province.
The tanker has a gross tonnage of 7,631 tonnes.
Sixteen of the twenty crew members had already evacuated amid southwesterly winds at level 3 before the rescue operation began.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre coordinated the response.
The specialised rescue vessel SAR 413 was deployed at 1:15 p.m., and a forward command post was established at the Region 3 Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre. The vessel owner was directed to prepare firefighting equipment, and nearby rig standby vessels were also mobilised. SAR 413 was assigned to transport the rescued crew ashore, including one seriously injured crew member.
All crew were ultimately rescued by the Androusa.
Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (Vietnam MRCC) is a state agency under the Vietnam Maritime Administration, responsible for coordinating search and rescue operations at sea. It operates regional coordination centres and works in collaboration with military and civilian maritime services.
The Vietnam Maritime Administration is a government body under the Ministry of Transport, tasked with the regulation and oversight of maritime activities in Vietnam. It supervises port operations, ship registration, and maritime safety compliance.