Con Dao Express 36, a newly launched high-speed passenger ship, on February 21 encountered technical problems 15 minutes after departing from Cau Da wharf in Vung Tau City.

File photo of Con Dao Express 36, the largest double hull high-speed ship in the country. It encountered technical problems on February 21 while en route to Con Dao Island off Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province

Equipped with four Rolls Royce MTU engines, the vessel was carrying over 500 passengers at the time of the incident, VietnamPlus news website reported. The boat departed at around 6 a.m., and 15 minutes later, its engines idled. It returned to the shore for repair but stopped several times before coming to a complete stop some 800 meters offshore.

The ship’s staff persuaded the passengers to remain on board the ship while waiting for the repair to be completed in an hour, but the repairs were still pending by the middle of the day. Some passengers decided to wait, but most of them suffered from seasickness due to rough seas, according to Nguyen Thanh Tam, who had traveled on the ship with seven friends of his.

On being informed of the incident, the competent agencies of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and the ship owner, Phu Quoc Express JS, jointly managed the incident and helped transport the passengers to the shore on smaller boats.

The ship was put into service on February 14 to operate on the Vung Tau-Con Dao Island route and remains Vietnam’s largest double hull high-speed ship to date.

At 47 meters long and 12 meters wide, it can accommodate 598 passengers and cruise at a maximum speed of 35 nautical miles per hour, or about 60 kilometers per hour.

SGT