UPDATE: Sole Survivor Confirms That Missing Vietnamese Ship Has Sunk
Only one crewmember from the missing cargo vessel, Vietnam’s Vinalines Queen, has been rescued and survived. British ship, London Courage, found and rescued the sailor on its way to Singapore. The locations of the vessel and the remaining 22 lost men are still unknown.
Reports state that Dau Ngoc Hung spent five days swimming at sea with only a lifejacket before he was rescued. He said his ship did indeed sink on Christmas day, most likely killing his 22 crewmates.
Apparently, the ship capsized without sending any distress signals in very bad weather. Hung described the sinking as very quick after the ship was strongly overturned to the left. The 31-year-old was found 350 kilometers from the sinking site.
Efforts to find the Queen are underway. The Japanese-built 190 meter Vinalines Queen was one of the largest and most modern cargo ships in the Vietnamese fleet, with a capacity of more than 56,000 tonnes. It had been in service for Vinalines since 2005.
Experts said that the emergency equipment onboard should have automatically sent out distress signals, but none were transmitted to satellites or rescue stations. Intercargo has also previously issued a statement warning of the hazards of transporting nickel ore as it may liquefy and cause a ship to list if not loaded to proper international standards.
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