Vietnamese rescuer honored with Exceptional Bravery Award during dramtic sea rescue

[ASEAN NOW News]

The 2021 IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea will be awarded to Mr. Tran Van Khoi, Search and Rescue Officer.

 

Mr. Tran Van Khoi, Search and Rescue Officer

 

He was nominated for his courageous actions and tireless rescue attempts in a rescue operation that lasted over three days, in October 2020.

 

Tran Van Khoi, 47, works at the Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center No.II based in Da Nang, as a search and rescue officer.

 

According to a report by Saigon online, while on duty on October 9, Tran and his colleagues braved extreme weather and very heavy seas, to rescue four sailors in the sunken cargo vessel Vietship 01.

 

They also received phone calls from President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to commend them on the bravery act.

 

This annual IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea award was established by the Organization to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.

 

In 2021 there are a total of 37 nominations for the above award, submitted from 23 member countries and four NGOs.

 

During an online meeting of the 125th session from June 28 to July 2, the IMO jury agreed to award the 2021 "IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea" award to Vietnam's Tran Van Khoi.

 

The award ceremony will be held according to the plan proposed by the IMO secretary general.

 

Treacherous seas

 

 

The South China Sea is poorly charted, making it exceptionally dangerous to navigate – the major Singapore-to-Hong-Kong routes go well to the west and east of the area.

 

It is a fact that a number of WW2 ships also that went down in the south China sea off the coast of Vietnam.