We visited Brigade 162 in mid-August, on the occasion of the unit organizing the 2025 Ship Survival Competition. The Brigade's Ship Survival Center is a place to train and practice knowledge and skills for officers and soldiers in firefighting and anti-sinking. The center includes a command and control room and two specialized firefighting and anti-sinking compartments with many modern machines and equipment.

The judges gave many complex situations for the teams to perform to ensure the ship's survival.

In the command and control room, the commander can observe or directly direct the actions of officers and soldiers performing tasks in the two fireproof and anti-sinking compartments. The equipped machines can help the commander adjust the technical parameters according to each level of the ship's life-saving training. The fireproof compartment allows for fires similar to those in the hold as well as on the deck. The anti-sinking compartment helps officers and soldiers perform operations when the ship has a hole below the waterline or a broken pipe, and water floods into the compartment.

Officers and soldiers scout to determine the cause of the fire.

Directly directing the activities of the sports festival at the Center for the struggle to protect the vitality of ships, Colonel Mai Van Doanh, Political Commissar of Brigade 162, said: “On combat ships, there are many technical weapons and equipment systems, the risk of fire due to electrical short circuits, fuel or water flooding into the hold due to the ship being affected by many factors that can arise is very high. Therefore, we proactively train officers and soldiers to always be ready to fight fires and prevent sinking that can happen at any time, whether the ship is at port or performing a mission at sea.”

Ring! Ring! Ring!... Each alarm bell rang along with a firm command: "Fire! Fire! Fire! The compartment... is on fire!..." signaled the start of the firefighting competition of the 012-Ly Thai To ship's staff. Immediately, the entire team quickly moved to their previously assigned positions.

Officers and soldiers used appropriate equipment to quickly extinguish the fire.

One comrade wearing a special protective suit and gas mask entered the fire compartment to conduct reconnaissance and determine the cause of the fire, while another comrade holding a fire extinguisher followed behind, ready to assist when necessary. One comrade used a water hose to cool the partition. The team leader observed and directed the general activities of the members.

After handling the situations given by the jury and completely extinguishing the fire, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Chuc, Captain of Ship 012-Ly Thai To shared: “In the event of a fire on board, the first thing to do is to conduct reconnaissance to determine the cause of the fire due to electrical short circuit, gasoline, paint or any other cause to use the most optimal fire-fighting equipment. When there is a fire in the hold, the power source must be cut off, the waves, smoke and high temperature make it very difficult for soldiers to approach, reconnaissance and extinguish the fire. Therefore, we regularly train 100% of officers and soldiers on board to be proficient in fire-fighting skills in conditions of strong ship shaking and no light.”

At Brigade 162, not only does the Disaster Prevention Team operate according to assigned functions and tasks, but the ship's officers and industry officers must also be proficient in fire and explosion prevention to regularly train and practice for the troops. The work of ensuring the ship's vitality is strictly maintained and given top priority. According to the prescribed time, the on-duty crew checks the temperature and watertightness in all compartments and registers in the logbook at each location without subjectively relying on the automatic reporting system.

The alarm bells rang, continuing the anti-sinking test: "The compartment… has water, the compartment… has water!". The anti-sinking team quickly maneuvered into the compartment, reconnoitering the actual situation. The ear-guard team reported, compartment…, 2m below the waterline, a 10x10cm hole. Water was coming in strongly, the water level in the compartment was 0.5m…

As soon as the command was given, members of the Disaster Response Team rushed into the anti-sinking compartment. Some placed soft cushions, some reinforced the pillars, some used jacks to plug the holes…

All anti-sinking means and tools were quickly deployed to prevent water from entering the compartment.

Quick hands. All anti-sinking equipment and tools were used properly, precisely preventing water from entering the compartment. Done! The whole team crisscrossed overhead to signal the completion of the test, however the pressure pump system continued to operate for another 5 minutes to confirm the solidity and safety of the holes that had been controlled.

In the anti-sinking competition, the industry staff team, Ship 376, Squadron 412 was evaluated by the jury as having completed the competition well with the lowest amount of water entering the compartment, and solid anti-sinking points. Lieutenant Nguyen Quoc Dat, Head of the electromechanical branch, Ship 376 shared: "Performing anti-sinking in conditions of no light, strong seawater ingress, narrow compartments... is not a simple thing. Thanks to good training and regular practice, we have achieved good results like today".

During the competition, the judges presented many complex situations for officers and soldiers to handle. The situations all stemmed from incidents that could occur on the ship. Lieutenant Colonel Pham Anh Tuan, Deputy Brigade Commander, Chief of Staff of Brigade 162, said: “Training to protect the life of the ship is a core and regular task of the Brigade. We train all officers and soldiers on the ship and regularly organize competitions and sports events to practice courage, coordination skills, and be ready to handle situations that may arise without being surprised or passive.”

The Brigade leader awarded prizes to the groups with good achievements in the sports festival.

The 2025 Brigade 162's ship survival competition concluded, spreading the experience in handling complex fire-fighting and anti-sinking situations. The competition is not only an opportunity for officers and soldiers to train and practice in close contact with reality, but also an opportunity for the Brigade commander to gain experience to improve the quality of training, ensuring the survival of the ships.

At the 21st Army Games held in the Russian Federation, the Ship Survival Team of Brigade 162, representing the Vietnam People's Navy, participated in the "Sea Cup" competition for the first time and won first prize, contributing to affirming the capacity, bravery and intelligence of the Navy soldiers in the international arena.

Article and photos: LE NGOC-THANH BINH

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/quoc-phong-an-ninh/xay-dung-quan-doi/huan-luyen-sat-thuc-tien-de-bao-dam-suc-song-tau-846376