South Korean Vessel Aids 23 Mariners in Indian Ocean Emergency Rescue

A recent publication by South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries highlights a remarkable rescue operation that took place on june 11 in the Indian Ocean. A cargo ship,the Maple Harbour,successfully saved all 23 crew members from the sinking Run Fu 3,a Panama-flagged vessel.

The drama unfolded when the Maple Harbour, a bulk carrier built in 2011 and flying the South Korean flag, received an urgent distress signal at around 2:45 a.m. local time. The Run fu 3 was taking on water and urgently needed help as it reported flooding in one of its cargo holds.

At that moment, Maple Harbour was en route to Italy through the Indian Ocean. Upon receiving the SOS call, its crew quickly changed course and reached the distressed ship by approximately 5:30 a.m.The Run Fu 3 had set sail from Singapore with Togo as its destination but began to sink about 500 nautical miles south of Maldives waters.Despite their best efforts to manage the situation onboard, things deteriorated rapidly. By around 8:15 a.m., after assessing their dire circumstances, the captain made the tough decision for everyone to abandon ship.

All hands—21 Vietnamese sailors and two from Myanmar—managed to board life rafts before being rescued by Maple Harbour’s crew who found them floating in open water.

Post-rescue care included food and drinks for these seafarers who were then taken aboard Maple Harbour before heading towards Port Louis in Mauritius for disembarkation.

The incident involved Run Fu 3—a vessel measuring about 172 meters long with a deadweight tonnage of approximately 32,900 tons—operated by Zhangjiagang Oceanicwit Shipping based out of China as its construction in ’97.

C Transport Maritime (CTM), which manages Maple Harbour commercially as part of their Supramax RSA fleet through Stone Shipping Ltd., confirmed that they were ideally positioned to respond swiftly due to their proximity. They also commended both crews—the rescuers for their fast action and those aboard Run Fu 3 for trying everything possible before evacuation became necessary.

Kang do-hyung, South Korea’s Oceans Minister expressed gratitude towards Maple Harbour’s team during this critical mission while emphasizing how vital international cooperation is at sea.The ministry also coordinated with operators of Run Fu 3 ensuring safe transfer arrangements upon arrival at Mauritius.

While investigations into what caused flooding on board are ongoing, thankfully no injuries have been reported among those involved.