Selling scrap metal from a thousand-ton ship that sank in Nghe An because it cannot be salvaged
(Baonghean.vn) - Although the initial expected time was 15 days, nearly 9 months have passed and the salvage has yet to yield results despite repeated urging from authorities.
On April 4, a small force was still working hard at the area where the VTB 26 ship sank in the Cua Lo sea area. After nearly 9 months of being unable to salvage the ship, the ship owner has now had to proceed with the plan of cutting the ship into small pieces to sell as scrap metal.
A source said that after the authorities requested the suspension of the salvage work by the contractor, Minh Thu Company Limited, the ship owner and the insurance company made a bid and found another contractor to replace them.
“However, the salvage companies all offered very high prices. The cheapest company offered 6 billion VND, and some companies even asked for 9 billion VND to bring the VTB 26 ship ashore,” said the source.
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| The VTB 26 ship sank in mid-July last year. Photo: Tien Hung |
The insurance company agreed with the ship owner to sell the ship for scrap metal because the cost was too high. “They realized that after spending billions of dong to salvage it and bring it ashore for repair, it would cost a lot of money. The insurance company would not be able to cover it, so they decided to abandon the ship,” he said, adding that a company later bought the entire ship and hired another company to cut it up.
The VTB 26 ship carrying 4,700 tons of coal sent a distress signal while anchoring to avoid a storm at Hon Ngu Island in mid-July 2017. The ship then capsized, many crew members fell into the sea. On the first day of rescue, 7 crew members were rescued along with 2 other bodies. The remaining 4 people were missing. A few days later, a team of divers found 2 more bodies trapped on the ship.
To date, two victims are still missing: deck officer Nguyen Van Chieu (29 years old) and sailor Nguyen Hai Quyet (26 years old, both from Hai Phong). These two victims are believed to be still trapped in the ship. The VTB 26 ship is nearly 100 meters long and more than 15 meters wide.
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| VTB 26 has a payload of more than 5,000 tons. Photo: Tien Hung |
On August 10, 2017, more than 3 weeks after the ship sank, the salvage work was started by Minh Thu Company with a total contract cost of 4.5 billion VND. At that time, Minh Thu Company promised that the salvage would be completed within 15 days. However, after much effort, when the VTB 26 was brought about 1/3 above the water surface, the cable broke and the crane collapsed.
“This company only rented one crane barge, so it did not have enough power to lift the ship. If they had paid to rent another one, they would have completed the salvage,” said Mr. Vuong Binh Minh, Director of Nghe An Maritime Port Authority. Since then, the salvage of the ship has gradually come to a standstill. Although the ship owner has also advanced the salvage company nearly 2 billion VND.
Regarding the responsibility for the delay, the Director of Nghe An Maritime Port Authority said that the first responsibility must be mentioned is the ship owner and the insurance company. “This ship is fully insured, so when an accident occurs, the insurance company will compensate. When looking for a salvage contractor, both the insurance company and the ship owner agreed to find the contractor with the lowest price to save costs. Low prices also mean that the salvage capacity is weaker than other companies,” said Mr. Minh.
The delay in salvaging the ship has also angered the relatives of the two missing crew members. Because the salvaging has not been completed, the two crew members are not considered missing. The search and rescue operation is still continuing in theory. In addition, the ship's operator is paying them regularly.
At a recent meeting, leaders of Nghe An province and the Ministry of Transport agreed to require the 5,100-ton cargo ship to be salvaged before April 25.