Vietnamese rescuers medically evacuated an unconscious crew member from the Liberia-flagged containership MSC Hermes III off Vietnam on September 29.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre said the sailor had vomited before losing consciousness and was suspected of inhaling toxic gas. It assessed his condition as life-threatening.
The captain reported a work-related fall and a serious head injury, the centre said. The centre received the emergency request from MSC Vietnam on September 28.
The specialised rescue vessel SAR 272 departed from Phuoc Thang ward at 21:15 that evening, carrying two medics from the Ho Chi Minh City Border Guard.
The patient was brought ashore on the morning of September 29 and taken to the French-Vietnamese Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. The Border Guard Command said he remained unconscious and required oxygen on arrival.
The containership was heading towards Buoy No. 0 in Vung Tau ward, Ho Chi Minh City, for repair and maintenance when assistance was requested.
Seven days earlier, all 25 crew members had abandoned MSC Hermes III in a lifeboat about 300 kilometres east of Vietnam, within Singapore’s maritime search and rescue region.
Singapore’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre was alerted at about 08:45 Singapore time on September 22, then broadcast a call for nearby vessels to help.
The containership MSC Ruby recovered the crew after three vessels responded. Singapore’s Maritime and Port Authority said all 25 were safe and none had been injured. The authority has not reported why the crew abandoned MSC Hermes III.