Lives are still being lost as overloaded and old high-speed cargo and passenger boats sink while they travel along rivers and up and down the coastline throughout Viet Nam.

A high-speed Petrol Express boat carries passengers on the HCM City - Vung Tau route. The Ministry of Transport has tightened management over high-speed boats after 9 people died when a boat sank recently.

Even a boat owned by Ba Ria-Vung Tau Coast Guard sank in the evening of August 2 amid strong winds and high waves near Can Gio District, drowning nine people.

The vessel, which had a capacity of 18, was reported to have been carrying 30 people at the time.

All of these incidents have prompted authorities to tighten up on the seaworthiness of vessels.

According to the Ministry of Transport, about 224 high-speed vessels are used to carry passengers to and from 14 major localities nationwide, including HCM City, Ha Noi, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Tuyen Quang, Quang Ngai, An Giang and Ca Mau.

The average age of the vessels is 13.5 years old.

Ministry inspections reveal that passengers travelling by high-speed boats often have problems getting on and off the vessels safely.

There is also a general shortage of life jackets and instructions on how to use them - and, most damagingly, understated records on the numbers of passengers.

Tran The Ky, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Transport, said that the three main shipping firms on the route from HCM City to Ba Ria-Vung Tau – Greenlines, Vina Express and Petrol Express – transport a total of nearly 1 million passengers a year on nearly 20 vessels.

During the first seven months of this year alone, the engines of 14 of the vessels are reported to have broken down.

However, it is alleged that not one of the incidents was reported to authorities.

In an urgent meeting with authorities last Saturday, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong said that the ministry would tighten management over high-speed boats.

It is understood it will suggest a maximum life-span for all passenger boats.

Boats older than 20 years old would be examined every three months instead of twice a year as at present, he said.

The ministry is also seeking suitable black boxes to automatically record vital engine data and times travelled.

After the accident, Lao dong (Labour) newspaper reported that many of the vessels were rusty and that life jackets were difficult to access.

Vessels on the HCM City-Vung Tau route often have to pass through rough seas, such as in Ganh Rai Bay, yet most vessels on the route may not be seaworthy.

Le Ba Minh, captain of the Greenlines 02 vessel, said that high-speed vessels often had to avoid ferries which didn't run to any system or timetable.

If a pilot was not vigilant, accidents could easily occur, he said.

Source: VNS