Vietnamese Cargo Ship Sinks in South China Sea, Multiple Missing

On July 26, a Vietnamese cargo ship, the 'Khôi Nguyên 18', sank in the South China Sea, with 50 out of 62 crew members rescued and 12 still missing. According to Chinese authorities in Hainan province, the vessel encountered trouble in waters near Mischief Reef, which China refers to as Yongshu Jiao. State broadcaster CCTV reported that a distress flare from the ship was first detected on the evening of July 25 by the Chinese rescue vessel 'Nanhai Jiu 115'. Videos released by Chinese authorities show some individuals clinging to inflatable rafts and being pulled aboard by Chinese crews. As of noon on July 26 Beijing time, the Global Times reported that at 18:53 local time on July 25, the maritime search and rescue center received a notification from the Hainan Provincial Maritime Search and Rescue Center. Accordingly, at 18:23 on the same day, the Chinese rescue vessel 'Nanhai Jiu 115', while returning to Sanya, discovered a life raft and successfully rescued 29 Vietnamese citizens on board. According to the accounts of the rescued sailors, the distressed vessel was a Vietnamese-flagged ship named Khôi Nguyên 18. It sank after encountering an incident on the evening of July 24 in waters approximately 220 nautical miles east of Khanh Hoa province. Currently, six Chinese ships, one rescue helicopter, and one Vietnamese vessel are jointly participating in the search and rescue operation at the scene. According to MarineTraffic, a platform specializing in tracking ship locations and maritime activities, the Khôi Nguyên 18 is a Vietnamese cargo ship, measuring nearly 70 meters in length and nearly 11 meters in width. At noon on July 26, Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the distressed vessel's name as Khôi Nguyên 18. "Immediately after the incident occurred, Vietnamese functional forces promptly coordinated closely and urgently arrived at the scene. Vietnam has deployed search and rescue efforts, with the support of Chinese search and rescue forces and vessels near the area," VnExpress quoted spokesperson Pham Thu Hang as saying. Hang also expressed her thanks to the Chinese forces for their rescue efforts and conveyed her hope for continued cooperation between the two sides to search for the remaining individuals. The accident site is located in the disputed Spratly Islands, which China calls the Nansha Islands. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, where it has built runways and militarized artificial islands. Beijing's claims overlap with the sovereignty claims of other countries in the region, particularly Vietnam and the Philippines. Rescue operations are ongoing.