SANYA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Ten crew members have been rescued after abandoning a cargo ship that was listing to one side in the South China Sea, according to the provincial maritime search and rescue center of Hainan.

The center received a report at 5 p.m. Monday that the ship, registered in Sierra Leone and carrying 3,000 tonnes of rice, was listing in waters off the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, as it made its way from Vietnam to Malaysia.

Following the captain's order to abandon the ship, the 10 crew members, eight Filipinos and two Chinese, boarded a life raft.

After receiving the report, China's Ministry of Transport and authorities in Hainan Province sent three ships to join the rescue operation.

At 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, all 10 crew members were rescued. They were in a normal condition, although one of them had sustained a minor shoulder injury. They are now on their way to Yantian Port in Shenzhen and are expected to arrive on Thursday.

"The successful rescue is a test of China's ability to safeguard the navigation safety of international ships in the South China Sea. It fully demonstrates China's commitment to rescue operations in the region," said Wu Pingsheng, an official of the rescue center in Hainan.