The Vietnamese cargo ship Khoi Nguyen 18 sank on July 24, 2026, near the disputed Yongshu Reef (Fiery Cross Reef) in the South China Sea's Spratly Islands, carrying 62 crew members at the time [1, 2, 3]. The approximately 70-meter vessel was Vietnamese-registered and reportedly involved in Vietnamese island construction projects in the Spratlys [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].
At around 18:23 on July 24, the ship sent out distress signals as it began to sink amid bad weather conditions, according to Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang, who expressed appreciation for Chinese rescue efforts [1, 3, 5, 7]. Chinese rescue crews detected the distress and immediately joined Vietnamese vessels in joint search and rescue operations near the Chinese-controlled reef claimed by Vietnam and others [1, 3, 5, 6, 8].
Rescue operations included six Chinese ships, one helicopter, and multiple Vietnamese vessels working together through July 25 and 26 [1, 9, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. By midday July 26, Vietnamese authorities reported about 45 survivors rescued and 17 missing, while Chinese sources cited 39 rescued and 23 missing [1, 3, 4, 7]. Chinese coast guard crews rescued two additional survivors late on July 26, bringing the total rescued to 47 by July 27, with around 10 or more still missing [9, 8, 10].
Pham Thu Hang noted Vietnam's gratitude for China's timely rescue assistance and called for continued close cooperation to find the remaining missing crew [8]. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jianzhou confirmed 47 crew members were rescued, treated for injuries, and handed over to Vietnamese authorities, who expressed thanks [8].
Another Vietnamese fishing vessel sank in the nearby Spratly area on July 24, with 33 rescued and 3 missing [7]. Search efforts for the missing from Khoi Nguyen 18 continue as rescue teams push forward in challenging weather conditions [1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10].
