Vessel Chemroad Journey from the Cayman Islands carrying nearly 30,000 tons of industrial chemicals was pulled away from the shallow waters yesterday.

The Caymanian ship and the Panamanian oil tanker

The Steering Board for Storm Prevention, Search and Rescue in the south-central Vietnamese province of Binh Thuan yesterday said that the tanker was safely escorted to Phu Quy Island off Binh Thuan Province

The Chemroad Journey carrying 30,000 tons of chemicals and 700 tons of liter FO oil June 10 was on its way from Singapore to China on June 10, abruptly, it grounded near an islet, 28 nautical miles to the south of Phu Quy Island.

The ship tilted to its side after running aground and its prow laid on the rocks. Worse, the tanker has two holes easily leading to the risk of fire and leaking oil into sea.

The Ministry of Transport guided related agencies to liaise with the tanker owner to adopt measure to rescue it. 

The captain was asked not to release the chemical load in order to free the vessel, as this would cause serious pollution in Vietnamese waters.

From June 15 to 26, tons of chemicals on the ship were transferred from its bow to other areas to prevent leakage and to help its front float. The Panamanian oil tanker Sun Mercury approached the tilted vessel on July 1.

Around 8,000 out of the 30,000 tons of chemicals was transferred from the Caymanian ship to the Panamanian oil tanker Sun Mercury on July 2.

SGGP