ShipSpotting.com Forum
Shipspotters all over the world => Help and Advice => Topic started by: quocvo on February 10, 2019, 03:14:49 PM
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Hello everyone. I am new here and have come across your forum as a last ditched attempt to identify and locate a particular ship and its crew. If this is not the right place, then can ADMIN delete this post please?
A bit of background.
My family and I were all saved by a Greek ship on 20/06/1985 called the KRITI RUBY.
I am trying to locate the captain or any crew member of that ship who rescued us. All I have is a photo of the ship, the captain and some of the crew members at the time which was given to us as a gift - I have attached this.
We fled Vietnam along with 57 others including myself, my brother, my mother and my father. I was 8 months and my brother 8 years old.
We escaped on a small wooden Vietnamese fishing boat due to the Vietcong regime and political situations in Vietnam at the time. We were stranded at sea for one month. During which time, we saw five ships come and go.
We were on the brink of dehydration and starvation. Some on board had perished. It was only then that the Kriti Ruby comes to our rescue and saved us. The doctor on the Kriti Ruby ship said that I was very close to death. They took us to Singapore on approximately 22/06/1985.
We now live in England, United Kingdom and I've been on a mission over the last few years to try and identify the ship and its crew. I have not had any success.
I know that there is currently a ship called the Kriti Ruby:
Class: Танкеры
Builder: SPP Shipbuilding / Tongyoung Shipyard Republic of Korea Тхонъён (экс Чхунму)
Yard number: S1016
Keel laid: 08.01.2008
Launched: 15.04.2008
Built: 25.07.2008
Home Port: Пирей
Owner and manager: Avin International SA Greece
IMO: 9391282
Registry: ABS
Registry number: 08175191
Registry class: ✠A1, Chemical Carrier, Oil Carrier, ESP, Ⓔ, ✠AMS, ✠ACCU, SH, SHCM
Call sign: SVAT5
MMSI: 240941000
Current state: Operating
Remarks: Рег.владелец: Kriti Ruby ENE
However, I do not believe the above ship is the same which rescued us.
Perhaps someone here knows where else I could go? Maybe there is a historical record somewhere to determine the ship's details? Sadly, the Greek Embassy was not able to assist me.
I don't want to give up.
I am grateful for any assistance users of this forum can give.
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Hello there, that was quite a story!
You can find six photos of the ship you are interested in on Shipspotting:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/search.php?search_imo=7635414
Hope this helps you further!
Kind regards,
Aleksi
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That's brilliant. Thank you so much Aleksi.
The link you have provided is the only other photos I have of this ship.
One small step at a time. I will be sure to post back if ever I can find the crew.
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One of the six photos by Leo Johannes has a comment by Acrop.He seems to know everything there is to know about Greek shipowners and gives the owner of the Kriti Ruby.
Maybe there is a lead there or he may be able to help you further.
Wish you every success in your quest.
Colin
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Hi Colin. That's a great spot. I have just emailed him. Thank you!
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What a touching story.
Kriti Rubi to me looks like a cargo vessel of Avin International S. A. ( Avin Liners ). You can contact this company via their web site www.avin.gr - by mail to Avin International S.A., Irodou Attikou 12 A, Maroussi 15124, Athens, Greece - by email to [email protected] or by phone. Their telephone numbers are also on their web site.
Good luck.
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Thank you for the information.
I only found out the Avin Liners link from the forum and it is my first real lead in years. I wish I had thought about coming here sooner.
I worry I may be too late because the Captian might no longer be with us, but I feel I owe it to his family and crew to try my best to get in touch with someone to show our gratitude.
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I have another question if I may. The ship status is shown as "dead". I assume that means it no longer exists? Is there a way to find out when it went out of service?
Avin has not replied to me yet. They are such a huge company so I doubt they will reply. I will give them a call next week after giving them some time to respond.
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Broken up in 2011
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Thank you!
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Good news!!!!
I have located the Captain. He is still alive and remembers me. He even has photos of me which I have never seen before.
Thank you everyone for your help! If it wasn't for your forum, I would not have had the vital lead to contact Avin.
The plan is now to arrange for my family to visit the captain and his crew in Greece. When this happens, I will be sure to post a reunion photo for you all.
I am forever grateful.
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Very pleased for you,that's a fantastic outcome.
I cannot seem to view the photo you attached to your first post.
Is it due to Admin policy of not showing people or crew?
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Thank you.
I am not sure. I can still see it.
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I am not sure if people are interested in this as well, but Avins supplied me with a document containing some information on the ship. I can't see anything sensitive or confidential on there, so I am sharing this with you all in good faith. Maybe the information is publicly available anyway.
MODS, please delete if this cannot be shared.
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An Amazing storing.
Excellent you found the captain. In such a relatively short period.
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What a fascination story with a marvelous outcome ;D :o
All the best you to and yours
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Very pleased for you,that's a fantastic outcome.
I cannot seem to view the photo you attached to your first post.
Is it due to Admin policy of not showing people or crew?
Are you using "Google Chrome"?
They did an update over the weekend which stopped me seeing some pages on different sites e.g. I couldn't see any statements on my internet banking although I was logged in, also couldn't see attached photos here like you. All seems OK today
Google Chrome on Windows 7
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Quocvo, all the best to you.
With a amazing story like yours I felt pretty sure, that you would get a reply either from Avin or the captain himself. The best thing to do, now, is to arrange for a meeting with the captain and at least some of the Kriti Rubi crew.
On 2nd May 1975 the Danish container ship Clara Maersk ( Maersk Line ) rescued 3.628 Vietnamese boat refugees and brought them to Hong Kong. Video footage of Clara Maersk's arrival at Hong Kong, two days later, and an interview with the captain of Clara Maersk about this rescue mission is on YouTube. If you are interested, just search Clara Maersk Rescue on YouTube.
Most of the Clara Maersk refugees were later granted asylum in Denmark. A baby girl born onboard was named Clara ( after the ship ) and a small boy among the boat refugees later joined the company and became a Maersk Line captain himself.
Regards.
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I bring unfortunate news.
The captain identified by the company was involved in an earlier rescue a few years before my rescue.
The search continues, but at least I now have a solid lead.
I will keep you posted.
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Hello Robert
Yes,Google Chrome & Windows 7,photos come up ok now !!
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Quocvo, all the best to you.
With a amazing story like yours I felt pretty sure, that you would get a reply either from Avin or the captain himself. The best thing to do, now, is to arrange for a meeting with the captain and at least some of the Kriti Rubi crew.
On 2nd May 1975 the Danish container ship Clara Maersk ( Maersk Line ) rescued 3.628 Vietnamese boat refugees and brought them to Hong Kong. Video footage of Clara Maersk's arrival at Hong Kong, two days later, and an interview with the captain of Clara Maersk about this rescue mission is on YouTube. If you are interested, just search Clara Maersk Rescue on YouTube.
Most of the Clara Maersk refugees were later granted asylum in Denmark. A baby girl born onboard was named Clara ( after the ship ) and a small boy among the boat refugees later joined the company and became a Maersk Line captain himself.
Regards.
Hi Astra,
Thank you for your kind words and for letting me know about this. I will be sure to look the story up.
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Wondered how your search is going.
Best of luck.
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I have now identified the Captain. It took longer because Avin Liners, like many other companies back then only had paper records. They needed to dig out the paperwork from their archives.
The sad news is that the Captain who saved me and my family passed away some 25 years ago. However, the person who I thought was a doctor was actually another crew member. He is now a Captain himself and recently retired.
He is going to help me look for the other surviving crew members and the next of kin of the late Captain.
He has some photos which he is going to dig out. When I get them, I will share them with you all.
All in all, I feel very grateful and humbled by everyone's help, including the staff at Avin.
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Any more news?