“We have no time to be afraid!”

Facing danger amidst the turbulent waves, he confided: "When the lives of fishermen hang by a thread, we have no time to be afraid!"

Rescue efforts continue without interruption.

On the evening of September 7th, the SAR 412 vessel (Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center) was ordered to immediately head to the waters off Quang Ninh province.

Upon receiving the order, the ship departed from Quang Ngai and sailed throughout the night to arrive early the next morning to rescue the Bach Dang 01 vessel, which had 13 crew members on board who were in distress.

Captain Tran Quang Thanh of SAR 412 vessel.

Captain Tran Quang Thanh recounted that the sea in central Vietnam was relatively calm, but upon reaching Quang Ninh, the waves became extremely rough: "We had to struggle with waves over 4 meters high, mobilizing all equipment and straining our eyes to locate the spot where the Bach Dang 01 ship was in distress."

Upon arrival, it was discovered that none of the crew members on board were injured and the vessel was still operational. SAR 412 assisted in resolving the issue. Subsequently, SAR 412 continued to escort the Bach Dang 01 vessel safely back to shore.

A crew member of the Bach Dang 01 vessel shared: "When the ship was in distress, drifting on the sea in conditions with waves over 4 meters high, there were times when I thought, 'That's the end.' Then, around 4:30 a.m. on September 8th, when we saw the searchlights and then the SAR 412 vessel appeared, we were all overjoyed and shed tears."

Immediately after successfully rescuing the Bach Dang 01 vessel, SAR 412 continued to rescue 7 people working on the Tien Thanh 05 crane vessel that had drifted and become stranded at Vung Duc, Cam Pha, and coordinated with border guards to rescue 4 crew members on the inland waterway vessel HY-0496.

The SAR 412 vessel towed the distressed fishing boat back to shore.

Subsequently, SAR 412 received orders to continue its mission in the waters off Quang Ninh province, joining SAR 411 in the area where the tugboat Hong Gai (belonging to Quang Ninh Port Joint Stock Company) sank on September 7th.

"On the morning of September 12th, divers descended to the site where the Hong Gai ship sank and found two bodies. We handed them over to the local authorities and continued searching for the remaining people," Captain Tran Quang Thanh recounted.

These are just a few of the dozens of rescue operations that SAR 412 carried out before, during, and after Super Typhoon Yagi .

Over two decades, they rescued more than 500 people in distress.

Captain Tran Quang Thanh is 57 years old this year, but he is still very strong and has the characteristic features of a coastal person (he was born in Da Nang).

After many years as a cargo ship captain, traveling across the world's seas, in 2001 he joined the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center.

The SAR 412 is one of the three most modern rescue vessels in Vietnam. It has a range of 600 nautical miles, a steel hull for the compartments, an aluminum deck, and is equipped with a Furuno FM-8500 VHF radio telephone; an SRH 50 handheld VHF radio; a modern radar system; and a medical care room.

Having dedicated over 20 years to maritime rescue work, Mr. Thanh and his colleagues have rescued approximately 500 people in distress at sea.

Having been rescued twice by the SAR 412 vessel, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang, a fisherman from Quang Ngai province, shared: "At that time, I was fishing in the Hoang Sa sea area when I encountered a problem."

My 11 crew members and I felt helpless, and just as we were contemplating the worst-case scenario, the SAR 412 vessel arrived in time. For us, the SAR 412 was like a savior, giving us more motivation and confidence to continue fishing at sea."

When asked about his most memorable experience, the most dangerous encounter he faced, he just smiled and said, "Maritime rescue always involves facing rough seas, so every time is dangerous. We often say to each other, anyone who does this job must have a passion for it to be able to stay committed."

Despite the hardships and dangers, he shared that he feels immense happiness whenever he manages to rescue someone in the vast ocean. Bearing this in mind, the crew members always strive to arrive as quickly as possible whenever ordered to do so.

"Like the rescue operations during Typhoon No. 3, the information indicated that the storm was very strong, potentially exceeding the ship's capacity to withstand it."

In this situation, we could have refused the mission due to safety concerns. However, driven by our conscience, the ship immediately sped away at maximum speed.

Departing from Quang Ngai, the SAR 412 vessel arrived in the waters off Quang Ninh in just 10 hours. Amidst rough seas and strong winds, more than 10 sailors on board, despite being seasoned veterans, still suffered from seasickness. "At that time, I had to encourage them a lot," Mr. Thanh confided.

Putting personal feelings aside for the sake of duty.

Mr. Thanh confided that the rescue ship is like a home for him and the crew, because they have to be on duty 24/7.

Under normal circumstances, he and the crew were allowed to go ashore, but the nature of their profession stipulated that at any time, upon receiving an order, the entire crew had to be present within 10 minutes, and the ship had to weigh anchor within 15 minutes.

The SAR 412 vessel during a mission in the central Vietnamese sea.

That's why neither he nor his colleagues dared to venture more than 2km from where the ship was anchored. Although his home was right in Da Nang City, he rarely got to visit, only able to talk to his wife and children over the phone.

"We understood that the fishermen's lives were hanging by a thread at that time. Therefore, every moment was precious," Mr. Thanh confided.

When asked about fear, the captain, with over 20 years of experience, laughed and said, "We didn't have time to be afraid. At that moment, all we could think about was how to rescue the fishermen from their critical situation as quickly as possible."

Not only did they rescue the fishermen, but after bringing them ashore, because most of their relatives hadn't arrived yet, Mr. Thanh and the other crew members on the ship also used their own money to cover the procedures for the fishermen's medical treatment.

The joy that followed came from the small thank-you gifts of the fishermen. It might be a chicken, a fish, or just a grateful smile, but it was enough to warm the hearts of him and his colleagues.

"That's what motivates us to work even harder, to try even harder to minimize the damage to fishermen," the captain confided.

According to Mr. Bui Van Minh, Director General of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Center, the captain and crew of the SAR vessel are all highly experienced and dedicated professionals.

"Among the center's captains, Mr. Tran Quang Thanh is one of the most experienced."

With over 20 years of experience in the profession, Mr. Thanh is a highly skilled professional with exceptional enthusiasm. Throughout those 20 years, we have never seen Mr. Thanh refuse a single assignment.

"When Typhoon No. 3 made landfall and caused severe damage, as soon as the order was given, the SAR 412 vessel, commanded by Mr. Thanh, traveled from Quang Ngai to Quang Ninh in just about 10 hours to carry out rescue operations. This can be considered a record for maritime rescue mobility," Mr. Minh said.

Typhoon No. 3, upon making landfall, not only caused severe damage to local areas but also resulted in numerous ships and boats being in distress while anchored.

The Ministry of Transport has established three inspection teams and, in coordination with local authorities, has directed decisive action, ensuring that all vehicles have moved to safe shelters to avoid the storm.

Recognizing the immense destructive power of Typhoon No. 3 and the high likelihood of maritime accidents due to the inability of many vessels to withstand it, the Ministry of Transport has established a forward command center to respond to maritime incidents.

The forward command post, headed by Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang, was initially established at the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center. Later, the command post was moved to Hai Phong for easier monitoring and direction. Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Sang requested that all units regularly update the situation, report any sudden incidents, and submit periodic reports every hour.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/thuyen-truong-tau-sar-412-chung-toi-khong-co-thoi-gian-de-so-192240913174119442.htm