Major oil spill risk off Quang Tri coast posed by damaged Hong Kong ship

The Glory Future is anchored near Cua Viet port in Quang Tri, central Vietnam, October 21, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Tao

The Quang Tri environment department has warned of an oil spill risk from a Hong Kong vessel anchored around eight kilometres from a local port.

The department requested the provincial People's Committee Thursday to ask owner of Glory Future and other concerned agencies to drain all the oil from the ship.

Local Beaches at risk

According to VN Express, the engine of the cargo vessel, weighing 28,000 tons and sporting a Hong Kong flag, has been damaged and it cannot move. It has been stranded at sea since October 17.

Cua Viet Port

At the end of the month, it was moved and is now anchored about 8 km off the Cua Viet Port of the central province.

There are around twenty crew members on the ship.

Its owner said 510 tons of oil have been transferred away from the ship's vulnerable locations to safer areas. But the oil has not been drained from the vessel. The owner also said they were collaborating with an international company to evaluate the ship's damage and find a way to fix it.

Join our 3 x a week Vietnam News, Travel and Expat information newsletter and keep up to date. https://aseannow.com/newsletter.php