Rescue teams are continuing efforts to locate 17 people after a Vietnamese cargo vessel carrying 62 people sank in rough weather in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday.
According to Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry, the vessel, Khoi Nguyen 18, went down while operating in severe weather conditions in the body of water Vietnam refers to as the East Sea.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said 45 people had been rescued by midday Sunday through a joint search effort involving Vietnamese rescuers, Chinese rescue ships and helicopters, as well as other vessels operating nearby. Search operations remain ongoing for the remaining missing persons.
Chinese state media reported that the ship encountered difficulties near Fiery Cross Reef, known in Vietnam as Yongshu Reef, within the disputed Spratly Islands.
The South China Sea remains one of the world’s most contested maritime regions. China claims almost the entire waterway despite an international tribunal ruling that rejected the legal basis for its extensive claims. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also claim parts of the strategic sea, including sections of the resource-rich Spratly archipelago.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that a Chinese rescue vessel detected what appeared to be the ship’s distress signal on Saturday evening. Rescue operations have involved six Chinese vessels, a rescue helicopter and one Vietnamese vessel.
Marine traffic data identifies the Khoi Nguyen 18 as a Vietnamese-registered cargo ship measuring just under 70 metres in length.
The latest accident comes just days after another Vietnamese vessel sank in rough seas near the Spratly Islands. In that incident, 33 fishermen were rescued while three others remained missing after their fishing boat was overwhelmed by strong winds and took on water.
Vietnamese media reported that nearby fishing boats assisted in the rescue operation, with survivors taken to Da Tay (West Reef), an atoll under Vietnamese control, where they received medical treatment and were reported to be in stable condition. The three missing fishermen were said to have left the sinking vessel without life jackets, using plastic containers to stay afloat.
The South China Sea is a vital global shipping route, with more than a quarter of worldwide trade passing through the waterway in 2024. The region’s islands and reefs are also believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves, making them the focus of longstanding territorial disputes.
China has expanded several reefs under its control in the Spratly Islands and developed military infrastructure, including airfields and naval facilities. Other claimant nations, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia, have also maintained military positions and built facilities across parts of the archipelago over the decades.
