The number of survivors from a Vietnamese cargo ship that sank Saturday off a Chinese-occupied shoal in the South China Sea has risen to 48, as search and rescue operations continue for 14 people still missing.
Vietnamese authorities announced Monday that three additional individuals were rescued, bringing the total saved to 48. The Khoi Nguyen 18 cargo vessel sank late Saturday near Fiery Cross Reef, a Chinese-built island and military outpost located in the Spratly Islands. The ship went down while operating in adverse weather conditions in the East Sea, according to the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry.
All 48 rescued individuals have been transferred to Vietnamese authorities, who are providing medical care before their return to the mainland. The Khoi Nguyen 18, a general cargo ship built in 2017, was last detected near Vietnam in March via its automated identification system, or AIS, according to ship tracking platform MarineTraffic. Large cargo ships are required by a United Nations maritime safety treaty to keep AIS transponders active to broadcast their identity, position, and course.
Vietnam initiated immediate rescue operations and coordinated with Chinese rescue ships, helicopters, and other vessels in the vicinity. The Philippine Coast Guard also deployed a patrol vessel and an aircraft at Vietnam's request, conducting the operation under international maritime agreements and bilateral cooperation.
The South China Sea is a strategically vital waterway through which approximately $5 trillion in global trade transits annually. China has been increasingly assertive in claiming sovereignty over the region, which is also believed to hold significant undersea oil and gas deposits. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan hold overlapping claims in the disputed sea, alongside China and the Philippines.