Evergreen Marine Corp’s Ever Diadem was part of a collaborative effort that successfully rescued all 30 crew of the Taiwanese Hsiang Fuh No. 6 that had been abandoned off the coast of Madagascar on Sunday.
Ever Diadem captain Tai Yen-Tang (戴燕堂) said his ship was en route from Singapore to Durban, South Africa, when the crew noticed two life boats at sea.
The Hsiang Fuh had been abandoned because of a fire, the surviving crew members said.
Photo courtesy of Evergreen Group
The South African Maritime Rescue Coordination Center was notified while Ever Diadem was ordered to standby for rescue operations, Tai said.
Tai said that because of the number of people needing assistance, he radioed for help and was answered by the nearby Sbi Antares, a bulk carrier registered in the Marshall Islands.
Despite the risk of piracy in the region, Tai came to the aid of the Hsiang Fuh crew, Evergreen said.
The Ever Diadem rescued 16 sailors from one lifeboat, while the Sbi Antares rescued those in the second lifeboat, Tai said.
Those rescued included three Taiwanese, seven Filipinos, four Vietnamese and 16 Indonesians, Tai said, adding that the crew was taken to Durban.
The rescued crew was placed under the care of the local representative of the ship’s owner, Hsiang Hao Fishery Co, on Tuesday, Tai said, adding that the local subsidiary is to arrange the crew’s transportation back to Taiwan.
The Ever Diadem is one of Evergreen Line’s D-type vessels. The ship is currently deployed in the carrier’s Far East — Africa Express service, calling at Shanghai, Ningbo in China and Keelung, Singapore and Durban.
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