UPDATE - Taiwan tanker collides with Vietnam ship
Date: 10-Sep-01
Country: VIETNAM
Truong Thanh Cong, director of the Science, Technology and Environment Department in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, told Reuters the Vietnamese tanker, Petrolimex 01, was anchored three km (1.9 miles) offshore when it was hit by the Liberian-registered Formosa One early last week.
He said the impact had damaged a compartment of Petrolimex 01, which is owned by the state-run Vietnam National Import-Export Corp (Petrolimex), and had caused a "serious" oil spill, but nobody was hurt in the accident.
"The oil spill has had serious impact on the environment," Cong said.
An official at Ho Chi Minh City-based Vietnamese shipping agent Hai Au, which handles services for Formosa One, said the tanker is owned by Taiwan's Formosa Plastics but registered in Liberia and was carrying a Chinese crew.
The accident happened in a bay off Vung Tau, which is about 120 km (75 miles) southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. The spill was about 40 km (25 miles) from the nearest tourist beach.
A Petrolimex official said the Vietnamese tanker was en route from Singapore and it had been docked at the anchorage for one hour before the accident took place.
An official of the Vung Tau port authority said Formosa One, carrying 20,000 tonnes (146,600 barrels) of diesel oil collided into Petrolimex 01, which was carrying 19,000 tonnes (139,270 barrels) of diesel oil at 1820 GMT Thursday.
INVESTIGATIONS UNDERWAY
"The spill is estimated at several thousand tonnes - more serious than we expected," he said. "Now it has affected Vung Tau beach and hit shrimp farms along the coast."
He said local authorities and the Vietnam-Russia joint venture, Vietsovpetro, were working to contain the spill.
Director Cong said the authorities were detaining the Formosa One and investigations were underway to establish the cause of the accident as well as to assess the damage.
The port official said the damage assessment and environmental work would take a long time.
"It will take several days to assess damage and clean up the spillage since the oil has partly evaporated or spread and soaked into the sandy beach of a nearby island," he said.
He said Formosa One is a 31,372 deadweight tonne vessel and Petrolimex 01 is 22,651 dwt.
