- KMTC Surabaya strikes Glengyle near Ho Chi Minh City.
- Glengyle’s hull ripped open, and oil spilt into the river.
- No injuries reported; KMTC Surabaya remains afloat.
A late-night collision on Friday between a bulk carrier and a container ship left the bulk carrier partially sunk and oil spilling into Vietnam’s Long Tau River, reports Marine Insight.
Incident Details
At approximately 22:40 local time on April 25, a container ship rammed the bulk carrier off An Thoi Dong, Ho Chi Minh City. The container ship collided with the port side of the bulk carrier, forward of the superstructure, inflicting serious damage.
Damage and Oil Spill
The impact of the collision created a big hole in the hull of the bulk carrier, which resulted in uncontrolled flooding of one of its holds and the engine room. The ship started to sink stern-first and finally settled half on the shallow river bottom. Fuel oil was observed leaking into the river from the damaged ship.
No Injuries Reported
Although the extensive damage, no persons were injured aboard either ship. The container ship suffered bow damage but could still maintain water entry and was kept afloat with no imminent threats of sinking. Its cargo also remained intact.
Rapid Action by Authorities
The Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port Authority moved rapidly to contain the situation. Rescue ships were sent to watch over the incident, and containment booms were put in position around the site to manage the oil spill.
Ships Heading Toward Riverbank
Two ships were reportedly stuck together following the collision and were heading towards the riverbank. This raised the level of urgency in responding to the incident.
Shipping in the region was not greatly affected, although the Saigon Vung Tau channel was momentarily rerouted, and a maritime notice was published to provide for safety in conducting the recovery operation.
Investigation and Initial Observations
The Vietnamese authorities started investigating the reason for the collision. Initial observations referred to the plumb bow shape of the container ship, a close to vertical bow shape that has also been associated with severe collisions in the past. An almost identical occurrence took place in 2021 between a superyacht and a steel-hulled tanker.
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Source: Marine Insight
