An injured cruise passenger is brought to a hospital in Da Nang, Dec. 11, 2025. Photo by police
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (VMRCC), together with relevant agencies and the ship’s local agent, on Thursday coordinated the emergency transfer of a passenger injured aboard the cruise ship Westerdam en route from the northern province of Quang Ninh to Tien Sa Port in the central city of Da Nang.
At 2:18 a.m., when the Dutch-flagged vessel carrying 1,900 passengers was about 32 nautical miles northeast of Da Nang’s Son Tra cape, a 69-year-old German passenger fell down a staircase.
The ship’s doctor provided first aid, but the patient suffered a spleen injury, with suspected internal bleeding. The patient’s condition was critical. The captain issued an emergency request for assistance amid rough weather, with northeasterly winds of around 40 kph and waves of 3–4 meters.
Assessing the risk of continued internal bleeding, the VMRCC instructed the Westerdam to proceed at full speed toward Da Nang. At 3:27 a.m., a pilot boat met the vessel at buoy No. 0, and at 4:30 a.m., the Westerdam berthed at Tien Sa Port, where rescue forces and the ship’s agent received and transferred the patient to hospital.
The VMRCC serves as Vietnam’s international focal point for coordinating search and rescue efforts involving foreign seafarers and vessels in the country’s maritime area of responsibility, and responds to maritime incidents under the direction of the National Civil Defense Steering Committee and the Ministry of Construction.
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