The officers and crew of Evergreen Line‘s containership EVER DIADEM joined forces with another ship to successfully rescue thirty seafarers forced to abandon their burning fishing vessel off the coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean on July 9, the ocean carrier announced today.

While en route from Singapore to Durban, EVER DIADEM’s crew found the distressed seafarers drifting in two lifeboats having abandoned the flaming HSIANG FUH No. 6, a Taiwan-flagged fishing boat. Captain Tai Yen-Tang of EVER DIADEM immediately notified the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center, South Africa, and ordered his crew to stand by for a rescue operation. In view of the numbers involved, Captain Tai also requested SBI ANTARES, a bulk carrier registered in Marshall Islands, and located nearby, to join the rescue mission.

This region off the African coast is notorious for rampant piracy which posed a potential yet serious threat to the rescue operation. However with the safety of the fishermen paramount, EVER DIADEM’s captain and crew braved the risks and succeeded in rescuing sixteen from one of the lifeboats. SBI ANTARES then followed up by saving those from the other lifeboat.

Those rescued included three from Taiwan, seven Filipinos, four from Vietnam, and sixteen Indonesians. They received good care on board EVER DIADEM as the ship continued its voyage to Durban. Evergreen notified the owner of the fishing boat, requesting that they take responsibility for their crew in Durban and arrange their repatriation.

EVER DIADEM is one of Evergreen Line’s D-type vessels with a capacity of 4,211 TEUs. The ship is currently deployed in the carrier’s Far East-Africa Express (FAX) service, calling at Shanghai, Ningbo, Keelung, Singapore, and Durban.