A cargo ship collided with two fishing boats, causing the latter to sink, off the coast of southern Vietnam on Saturday, November 1.
The Panamanian-flagged general cargo vessel Sea Noble had earlier left Ho Chi Minh City and was headed for Haiphong when she struck the unnamed locally-registered fishing boats some 15 kilometres off Vung Tau on Saturday evening (local time).
The two smaller vessels were stationary at the time of the incident, as both had stopped to permit their crews to carry out repairs.
The boats sank immediately afterwards, forcing their crews to jump into the sea. They later ended up clinging to some life buoys and were rescued by the crews of some Good Samaritan vessels that were also in the area.
There were 11 personnel aboard the two ill-fated fishing boats. All are accounted for and have since been turned over to the Vietnam Border Guard for processing.
One crewmember was later treated for facial injuries and chest pain.
Sea Noble has dropped anchor off Vung Tau while local authorities conduct an investigation into the incident.