Civil Defense Drill for Super Typhoon Response and Search and Rescue in Hai Phong, 2023

Following Plan No. 162/KH-UBND dated May 24, 2023, issued by the Hai Phong People's Committee on organizing the Civil Defense Drill for Super Typhoon Response and Search and Rescue in Hai Phong in 2023. On July 7, 2023, the SAR 411 from the Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center no.1 participated in a search and rescue exercise, the exercise was part of Hai Phong city's Civil Defense Drill in 2023, led by the Hai Phong Civil Defense Steering Committee.

The delegates attended the Drill at Tan Cang International Container Terminal, Hai Phong

The event was attended and directed by Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Binh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Army of Vietnam; Lieutenant General Doan Thai Duc, Director of the Search and Rescue Department of the General Staff; Major General La Dai Phong, Deputy Director of the Search and Rescue Department; Major General Luu Quang Vu, Deputy Director of the Operations Department; Major General Nguyen Trong Hoang, Deputy Director of the Fire and Rescue Police Department - Ministry of Public Security; Rear Admiral Pham Nhu Xuan, Deputy Commander of the Navy; Lieutenant General Nguyen Quang Ngoc, Member of the Party Central Committee and Commander of Military Region 3; Major General Nguyen Duc Dung, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of Military Region 3; Nguyen Van Tinh, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center; the event also saw the presence of the city's Party Secretary (Head of the Steering Committee), Chairman of the People's Committee (Head of the Organizing Committee), city leaders, representatives from provincial and municipal Military Commands in the Red River Delta region, and stationed units in Hai Phong.

The drill was held at Lach Huyen Port in Cat Hai District and comprised three main contents: issuing super typhoon warnings, mobilizing and anchoring ships, securing houses and warehouses, evacuating residents, and establishing a city’s forward command post; conducting search and rescue operations for sunken or capsized vessels and responding to an oil spill at sea; and setting up a field hospital for disaster relief.

Scenario: At 07:00 on Day N-3, a super typhoon named CONSON, with wind speeds of level 15-16 on the Beaufort scale and gusts up to level 17, made a landfall. The storm’s eye was about 400 km east of the Paracel Islands. Forecasts indicated that within the next 24 hours, the storm would move west-northwest, directly affecting provinces from Quang Ninh to Ninh Binh, with the eye of the storm centered between Hai Phong and Thai Binh.

The SAR 411 vessel from the Regional Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center no.1 coordinated with forces and aircraft to swiftly respond to the incident on-scene.

At 13:40 on Day N-2, in the waters of Lach Huyen, in position 20.48.10N - 106.54.22E, within Tan Cang International Container Terminal’s water port area, a steel-hulled fishing vessel HP-90080.TS encountered strong winds and a localized tornado, lost control, rotate horizontally and collided with the bow of a transport barge HP-9025 carrying 40 workers. The barge’s fuel tank held approximately 10m³ of diesel oil. The accident resulted in a chain collision with two other fishing vessels (each carrying eight crew members) moving in the same direction.

The helicopter supported and rescued crew members from the distressed vessel

Consequences: The barge HP-9025 tilted, water began flooding its cargo hold, and the vessel started sinking quickly, around 20 panicked workers jumped into the sea with life jackets, calling for help. The fishing vessel HP-90080.TS suffered engine failure and drifted uncontrollably. The other two fishing vessels rotate horizontally, disabled, leading to congestion in the maritime channel, preventing vessels from moving to avoid the typhoon.

Drill Outcome: All 117 vessels operating in the area safely anchored in storm shelters, the 20 workers who jumped into the sea were successfully rescued by SAR 411, helicopters and the city’s armed forces transferred them to a medical facility for emergency care at the field hospital. The HP-90080.TS fishing vessel was towed back to Cai Vieng berth by a Border Patrol boat. The oil spill caused by HP-9025 was contained and cleaned up by the Northern Oil Spill Response Center in accordance with established protocols. The entire drill followed the planned scenario and ensured absolute safety for personnel and equipment.

At the closing ceremony, Nguyen Van Tung, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee, and Head of the Organizing Committee of Civil Defense Drill emphasized that the 2023 Hai Phong Civil Defense Drill was a large-scale event and a crucial mission that was successfully conducted, achieving the set objectives and ensuring the absolute safety of personnel and equipment. The drill provided valuable experience in leadership, command execution, and crisis response to natural disasters and emergencies. The results serve as a key foundation for strengthening and enhancing the city's defense capabilities, mobilizing the collective strength of the entire political system, particularly the power of the people. Additionally, the drill played a vital role in developing, refining, and perfecting response plans and strategies, ensuring proactive preparedness across all aspects to respond to potential natural disasters and emergencies promptly.

Some of the Drill’s photos:

Preparations of the SAR 411 vessel for the drill

The transfer and first aid support to victims on-scene.

 The coordination in the air and at sea between helicopter and SAR vessel

Awarding certificates of merit to individuals and collectives with outstanding achievements in the drill.

An overview of the forces and vehicles participating in the training exercise