Why did the VTB 26 ship carrying 4,700 tons of coal have an accident at sea?

(Baonghean.vn) - Ship VTB 26 carrying 4,700 tons of coal capsized during storm No. 2 in the waters of Ngu Island (Cua Lo Town). Many questions have been raised about the cause of this accident?

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The VTB 26 ship belongs to the Vietnam Maritime Commercial Joint Stock Bank and is currently leased to a private company in An Hai, Hai Phong. At around 9:00 p.m. on July 8, the ship left Km6 port (Quang Hanh ward, Cam Pha city) carrying 4,700 tons of coal to Cua Lo port. There were 13 people on board, including 12 crew members and 1 company employee accompanying the cargo.

VTB 26 ship carrying 4,700 tons of coal capsized at sea. Photo: Archive

It was expected that the ship would take about 2 days to reach Cua Lo Port. However, at dawn on July 17, when the ship was anchored near Hon Ngu Island, about 3 nautical miles from the mainland to take shelter from storm No. 2, it was overturned by waves and sank. All 13 people on board were in trouble, many of whom were thrown into the sea.

By 4 p.m. on July 18, rescue forces had saved 7 crew members and discovered and recovered 2 bodies of crew members of the VTB 26. Currently, authorities are prioritizing the search and rescue of the remaining 4 missing crew members.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Vuong Binh Minh - Director of Nghe An Maritime Port Authority said that the location where the VTB 26 ship capsized and sank was anchored in a permitted area. At the time the VTB 26 ship had an accident in the area near Ngu Island, there were 3 other cargo ships also anchored here, of which the VTB 26 ship had the largest load capacity.

Why, after 8 days of departure from Km6 Port, by the evening of July 16, the VTB 26 ship had not yet arrived at Cua Lo Port to unload the cargo? Investigation at Nghe An Maritime Port Authority found that because the cargo owner had no plans to unload the cargo at Cua Lo Port, the port did not have a schedule to arrange for the ship to anchor.

Besides, why were all 13 people still on board the VTB 26 when the storm hit even though the authorities had notified all ships and boats operating at sea about safe shelters?

Crew member Nguyen Van Sang, one of the seven crew members rescued so far, is being brought ashore. Photo courtesy

Regarding this issue, Mr. Vuong Binh Minh said: The captain's responsibility is to assess the direction of the storm and come up with a plan to anchor, avoid the storm and let people go ashore to ensure safety.

Regarding the official cause of the ship's capsize, Mr. Minh said that after completing the search and rescue work, the authorities will organize an investigation to clarify and have a final conclusion./.

Pham Bang -Thanh Duy