The story of a sailor after nearly 15 hours of struggling with rough waves at sea

(Baohatinh.vn) - Before the ship sank in Ha Tinh sea, the crew members had prepared life jackets and life rafts, but when they jumped into the sea, each person went to a different place, while the surrounding sea was dark, they just tried their best to survive and return to their families.

Mr. Do Sy Thuong recounts the life and death moments at sea.

As the first crew member to be brought safely to shore by rescue forces, Mr. Do Sy Thuong (born in 1978, from Thai Binh ) - Deputy Captain of Cong Thanh 07 ship is still in shock when recalling the time struggling with the fierce waves at night.

Mr. Thuong recounted: "On the evening of May 25, when entering the waters of Ha Tinh , the ship began to have problems. At that time, we planned to steer the ship to Vung Ang port but failed. At that time, the waves were big, the wind was strong, the ship shook violently and water started to flood into the ship. Realizing that the ship was at risk of sinking, we were forced to leave the ship."

Mr. Thuong talks with the authorities.

"About an hour before the ship sank, the crew members put on life jackets and brought life rafts. I waited for everyone to jump before leaving the ship. In a moment, the ship sank completely into the sea.

When jumping into the sea, each person still tried to hold on to the life raft until the waves pushed them in different directions. In the middle of the night, the crew members lost each other. After each wave, I was almost exhausted. At that time, I could only think of my family, my wife and children, holding on to the life jacket in the hope of survival," Mr. Thuong recalled.



The crew of Cong Thanh 07 ship were brought safely to shore by rescue ship SAR 631.

After many hours of drifting and struggling with the rough waves, Mr. Thuong was discovered by a fishing boat and brought onto the boat.

“At around 5am, when I saw the lights of a passing fishing boat, I used the whistle from my life jacket to blow repeatedly. Then, I was lucky to be helped by a fishing boat to get on board. At that moment, I knew I was alive. I asked the fishing boat owner if there was anyone else around but there was no result,” Mr. Thuong shared.

Mr. Ta Duy Tuyen sent his thanks to the functional units and fishermen who supported the rescue of the crew of Cong Thanh 07.

Having just stepped down from the maritime rescue ship SAR 631 after nearly 15 hours of struggling at sea, Mr. Ta Duy Tuyen (born in 1968, from Thai Binh) - chief engineer of the ship Cong Thanh 07, had tears in his eyes recalling the life-and-death moment: "When leaving the ship, the brothers clung to the life raft but at that time the waves were very worrying, the weather was cold. The brothers had to struggle with each big wave. There were times when we felt like giving up, we could only hold each other's hands and cry.

Near dawn we saw the lights of fishing boats passing by, we all tried to swim closer to call but were pushed away by the waves. This morning, when we saw the rescue ship of the authorities approaching, we burst into joy. Everyone shouted together “we are saved”.

Joy burst out when meeting the crew of Cong Thanh 07 again.

According to Mr. Tuyen, his greatest wish was to call his family to let them know he was safe. However, due to being so exhausted after many hours at sea, he temporarily could not remember his family's phone numbers.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Bao Ha presented gifts to support crew member Nguyen Nghiem Tru.

Mr. Nguyen Nghiem Tru (born in 1972) - a crew member of Cong Thanh 07, was one of two people injured after jumping off the ship. Mr. Tru was seriously injured in his left leg due to a collision while leaving the ship.

“When the ship had an accident, we put on life jackets and prepared life rafts, ready for the ship to sink at any moment. At around 9 p.m., all the crew members jumped off the ship. We took turns blowing the whistle, hoping that a passing fishing boat would hear us. At that time, all we could think about was how to survive and return to our families at all costs,” Mr. Chu confided.

The crew members were supported by the Ha Tinh Border Guard force to go for a health check.

As of the afternoon of May 26, authorities had searched for and rescued 11 crew members of the Cong Thanh 07. All crew members had received health checks. The injured were promptly treated.

When the SAR 631 ship docked at wharf No. 3 (Vung Ang port), Vice Chairman of Ha Tinh Provincial People's Committee Tran Bau Ha directly visited and encouraged the crew of the Cong Thanh 07 ship.

Director of Ha Tinh Maritime Port Authority Nguyen Duc Tung said: As soon as receiving the rescue information from the sunken ship Cong Thanh 07 at sea in Ha Tinh, the unit coordinated with the functional forces of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces, along with the help of fishing boats fishing in the nearby area to support the search. Fortunately, 11 crew members were rescued in time, and their health has gradually stabilized.

Video: Crew of Cong Thanh 07 ship recounts the moment the ship sank at sea in Ha Tinh.

At 8:40 p.m. on May 25, Ha Tinh Maritime Port Authority received a distress call from the ship Cong Thanh 07 about the ship's engine failure, tilting, and water flooding in.

At the time of the accident, the ship was in the waters of Ha Tinh, about 9 nautical miles from Vung Ang port (Ky Anh town).

Upon receiving the information, Ha Tinh Maritime Port Authority coordinated with the Border Guard Command of Vung Ang - Son Duong Port (Ha Tinh Border Guard) and related units to deploy many means to organize rescue.

At 9:30 p.m. on May 25, the Cong Thanh 07 ship sank, and the crew jumped off the ship. Location of the sunken ship: 18°06′53 North latitude, 106°30′30 East longitude.

Cong Thanh 07 ship, with a capacity of nearly 5,200 tons, was carrying 4,900 tons of coal from Quang Ninh to Quang Binh. Initial information indicated that there were 11 crew members on board. Before sinking, the ship suffered engine failure.

To assist in the search for the crew of the Cong Thanh 07 ship, the Vietnam Maritime Administration in coordination with the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center, the Maritime Port Authority and the Border Guard of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces have established a search and rescue command post at the Quang Binh Maritime Port Authority in Quang Dong commune, Quang Trach district.

EC-155-B1 aircraft with registration number VN-8624 of the Northern Helicopter Company, Army Corps 18/Ministry of National Defense, was also mobilized to support the search for the crew of Cong Thanh 07 ship.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/loi-ke-cua-thuyen-vien-sau-gan-15-tieng-vat-lon-voi-song-du-tren-bien-post288630.html