Struggling to salvage sunken ship VTB 26 in Nghe An

(Baonghean.vn) - Although the salvage was scheduled to be completed in 15 days, after 46 days, the work seems to have made no progress.

On the afternoon of September 26, speaking with Nghe An Newspaper reporter, Mr. Nguyen Van Nhi, captain of ship SAR 273 (Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center) said that this force is still on duty at Cua Lo sea to coordinate with the ship owner and the salvage unit to 'rescue' ship VTB 26 which sank in mid-July.

Currently, the wreck of the sunken ship has been swept away by storm No. 10 about 700m from the original accident location. Also after this storm, a large foreign cargo ship, while passing through this area, collided with the VTB 26, causing a tear in the second floor hold of the wreck.

The VTB 26 ship is still sunk in the waters of Nghe An. Photo: Tien Hung.

The salvage was started by Minh Thu Company Limited (Hai Phong) on ​​August 10 with a total cost of 4.5 billion VND and is expected to be completed in 15 days. On September 6, the VTB 26 was lifted about 1/3 above the water surface when the cable broke and the crane collapsed, so the salvage work had to be temporarily stopped.

“The company then had to hire another salvage company in Nghe An to increase its resources. Currently, it is adding two barges with a capacity of over a thousand tons and many other vehicles to participate in the salvage,” said Mr. Nhi. It is expected that if conditions are favorable, the salvage work will be completed in mid-October.

The wreck of the sunken ship is now drifting 700 meters after the recent storm No. 10. Photo: Tien Hung.

Previously, at about 2:00 a.m. on July 17, the VTB 26 ship carrying 4,700 tons of coal sent a distress signal while anchored to avoid the storm at Hon Ngu Island (Nghe An). The ship then capsized, many crew members fell into the sea. On the first day of rescue, 7 crew members were rescued; 2 other bodies were also found. The remaining 4 people are missing. The ship sank about 3 nautical miles from shore, about 800 meters north of Hon Ngu Island. This area is about 10 meters deep.

After the ship sank, although the rescue team determined that some people were still trapped on the ship, they could not mobilize divers to search because the waves were big and the water in this area was murky, obscuring visibility. To date, two victims are still missing: Nguyen Van Chieu (29 years old, deck officer) and Nguyen Hai Quyet (26 years old, sailor), both from Hai Phong. The VTB 26 ship is nearly 100 meters long, more than 15 meters wide, and has a tonnage of nearly 6,000 tons.

The delay in the salvage work has angered relatives of the missing crew members.

Tien Hung