GLOBALIZATION

Singapore-registered container vessel collides with Bahamian ship in Vietnam waters

Singapore vessel Wan Hai 288 collided with another vessel while sailing along the Long Tau river in Vietnam. 

PHOTO: SALVAGE_AND_WRECK/INSTAGRAM

Sarah Koh

A Singapore-registered container ship collided with a Bahamian vessel on Saturday morning while sailing along the Long Tau river in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The Singaporean vessel, Wan Hai 288, was sailing towards a port in Ho Chi Minh City when it collided with Bahamian vessel Resurgence, which was going in the opposite direction, according to a report by Vietnamese newspaper VnExpress.

A spokesman from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) confirmed that the incident happened at around 5.40am (Singapore time) on Saturday.

“There were no reports of injury or pollution,” MPA spokesman told The Straits Times. “Both vessels are in stable condition. Wan Hai 288 is currently safely moored at Lan Tau No 6 buoy.”

MPA is in contact with the company and will investigate the incident.

According to vessel tracking website FleetMon, the bow - or the front - of the Resurgence struck Wan Hai 288 in the cargo deck area, which caused the latter to be stuck in a nearby river bank.

The Wan Hai 288 was carrying around 1,400 containers, while the Resurgence was carrying about 600 containers at the time of the incident.

A spokesman from the Ho Chi Minh City’s maritime administration said that the Resurgence vessel was moved to Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to ship tracking website MarineTraffic, Wan Hai 288 was built in 2021 and belongs to Taiwanese shipping company Wan Hai Lines, which has several offices worldwide.Additional reporting by Michelle Chin