On the morning of September 29, a patient was brought ashore and transported to the French-Vietnamese Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. According to the Border Guard Command, the individual arrived in an unconscious state and required supplemental oxygen.
The incident involved the containership MSC Hermes III, which was en route to Buoy No. 0 in Vung Tau ward for maintenance when help was requested. A week prior, all 25 crew members had evacuated the vessel using a lifeboat approximately 300 kilometers east of Vietnam, within Singapore’s maritime search and rescue area.
The Singapore Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was notified around 08:45 Singapore time on September 22 and subsequently issued a distress call to nearby vessels for assistance. The containership MSC Ruby responded, along with two other vessels, successfully rescuing the crew.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore confirmed that all 25 crew members were safe and unharmed. However, the reason for their abandonment of MSC Hermes III remains unreported.
