The Vietnam Maritime Authority saved 20 crew members from a burning tanker off its coast. They received the news on Friday, August 8, 2025, that the Vietnamese-flagged tanker GT Unity experienced an electrical fire.

The 7631 DWT tanker built in 2008 was loaded with 3872 tonnes of crude oil and was on its way from Malaysia to the Vietnamese port of Dung Quat.

It was around 104 nm southwest of Con Dao and 191 nm from the Vang Tau Cape in southern Vietnam

The container ship Androusa, owned by Costamare, was nearby and was asked by Vietnamese authorities to aid the tanker in distress.

The 53,439 DWT container vessel, operating under charter, was sailing from China and was headed to Singapore.

The Vietnamese authorities alerted the Navy and Coast Guard, and a patrol boat was dispatched from Vung Tau. They also asked the crew members of a drilling rig close to the site to participate in the rescue.

The container ship reached the burning tanker and reported that 16 of the 20 crew members had abandoned the vessel.

The container ship was able to rescue all 20 of the crew members.

The patrol boat was also about the reach the site of the accident to evacuate the injured crew members. One person was reported in critical condition.

The director of the Vietnam Maritime and Waterways Administration, Le Do Muoi, said that they would be awarding a certificate of merit to the captain and crew members of the Androusa for recognising the need and taking responsible actions in this incident.

The owner of the GT Unity was told to arrange ships to extinguish the fire and salvage the drifting ship.

Source: www.marineinsight.com