The container ship MSC Hermes III abandoned in the South China Sea on 22 September would appear to be under tow to Vung Tau in Vietnam.    The 20-year-old, 2,490 teu MSC Hermes III was reported to have sent a distress call at around 08:45 hrs SGT on 22 September and was rebroadcast by Singapore MRCC according to the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).    The 25 crew of the vessel were reported to have abandoned ship into a lifeboat and were rescued by another MSC vessel MSC Ruby which answered the distress call. Two other MSC vessels MSC Florentina and the MSC Turin III also diverted to the vicinity of the MSC Hermes III that appeared to be adrift around 300 km east of Vietnam.    Based on AIS tracking from Pole Star Global the MSC Hermes III would now appear to be under tow from the anchor handler tug TC Mercury and the tugboat Boka Guard both of which sailed from Vietnam. Both the TC Mercury and the Boka Guard are reporting their destination as the Vietnamese port of Vung Tau.    It remains unclear what happened to the MSC Hermes III that caused its 25 crew to abandon ship. The container ship had been sailing from Hong Kong to Jakarta at the time of the incident and all 25 crew were reported safe and uninjured.