On Thursday afternoon, Deputy General Director of Phú Quốc Express Joint-Stock Company Ngũ Thị Diệu Bình said the incident that made 500 passengers return to Cầu Đá Port was caused by a software error.

"One of the four machines disconnected and caused the engine’s management software to crash,” Bình said.

At 6am on Thursday, the ship departed from Cầu Đá Port; within 15 minutes a problem was detected. The captain quickly returned to the harbour to ensure passenger safety and receive a technical inspection.

The company worked with local authorities to bring passengers to the mainland in small boats and quickly sent engineers to repair the boat. It provided lunches and refunded tickets for those who cancelled their trip. — VNS