West Philippine Sea INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy’s BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS16) responded to a sunken Vietnamese fishing vessel inside Quirino (Jackson) Atoll, a Filipino traditional fishing ground, in the West Philippine Sea.
The incident happened on July 30, the Navy said in a statement on Thursday.
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“PS16 Commanding Officer, LCdr. Christofer Neil Calvo said that they arrived in the vicinity of the said atoll an hour after receiving the report and immediately deployed a rescue team,” the statement read.
Vietnamese fishing vessel with Bow Nr. Q. Ng 96554 TS, upon investigation, was found with neither personnel onboard.
It also did not cause any oil spills that might harm marine life.
However, assorted food and beverages were observed floating near the vessel.
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“[A]nother Vietnamese fishing vessel was also sighted 4.6 nautical miles away, suggesting that the people on board the sunken vessel may have been rescued by their compatriots. PS16 later confirmed the rescue of the crew by the other vessel,” the Philippine Navy said.
“The Philippine Navy’s immediate response to assist the Vietnamese vessel underscores the strong PH-Vietnam relations,” it added.