One person has gone missing following a collision between a commercial cargo ship and a fishing vessel in the South China Sea off Hue province in central Vietnam on Tuesday, October 7.
The incident involving the cargo ship Thuan Trung 08 and the fishing vessel TTH 96329 TS occurred approximately 10 nautical miles off the Thuan An Estuary in Hue at around 15:45 local time on Tuesday.
The smaller fishing vessel later sank due to the force of the impact, and all four of the crew ended up in the water.
Three of the fishing vessel's crew were later picked up by the cargo ship but their companion has not yet been found.
The three survivors have since been handed over to local authorities for processing and medical treatment, though the extent of any injuries suffered has not been disclosed.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre has sent the rescue vessel SAR 631 to the area to attempt to locate the missing fisherman.
Local officials said the collision occurred as the area off the coast of Hue was experiencing Beaufort Force five conditions with wind speeds of over 17 knots.
Tuesday's incident is the second vessel collision to occur in Vietnam's coastal waters in less than a week.
On Saturday, October 4, a locally-registered fishing vessel sank after colliding with a South Korean-flagged oil tanker off Ninh Thuan province. Ten of the fishing vessel's crew were rescued while the captain was initially reported missing but was found dead two days later.
