Fly ash at Vinh Tan Thermal Power Plant (photo:ttxvn)
Binh Thuan Department of Natural Resources and Environment reported that Bach Dang cargo ship with a tonnage of 2,560 tonnes was carrying 1,500 tonnes of fly ash when it sank half a nautical mile away from Mui Ne on March 14. The fly ash belongs to Vinh Tan Thermal Power Plant and was being carried from Vinh Tan International Port to Vung Tau Province.
Hoang Duong Tung, former deputy head of Vietnam Environment Administration has raised concerns over the possible consequences caused by the accident including an oil spill and fly ash spreading into the sea.
"Of course, the severity will depend on whether the fly ash is stored in a closed space on the ship or not, the location and response plans," he said.
Nguyen Hung Thinh, deputy head of the Vietnam Environment Administration, in his report to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said that the fly ash was stored in a specialised container and would not have a great impact on the environment. There are about 2,000 litres of diesel oil on the ship and the crew had locked all the valves before leaving the ship.
The locality authorities proposed to pump the oil out of the vessel.
According to Thinh, they have detected some oil on the water. That means the oil in the engine tank might have leaked out when the ship capsized. The amount of oil was small and can be dealt with.
The Southern Environmental Protection Department is monitoring the situation and will hold a meeting on March 16 to co-operate in issuing directives.