Myanmar-flagged fishing vessel LADY R3 with 303 Sri Lanka migrants ran into trouble in South China sea some 260 nm off Vung Tau, when she started to take on water on Nov 5, in fresh weather. Somehow distress news reached MRCC Vietnam, which asked nearby ships to respond and assist. NYK car carrier HELIOS LEADER on Nov 7 approached LADY R3 and rescued all 303 would-be migrants. Car carrier interrupted her voyage from Japan to Singapore and arrived at Vung Tau anchorage in the morning Nov 8, to dispose of her passengers.
The most amazing thing is, they have been planning to reach Canada, on this bucket, crossing autumn-winter North Pacific!
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.