Quy Nhon Maritime Administration in the central province of Binh Dinh approved a plan on Tuesday to fish out two foreign ships that sank and broke in Quy Nhon Bay.

The Fei Yeu 9 ship stuck in the Ghenh Rang mountain in Quy Nhon City. — Photo news.zing.vn

The two ships were damaged during typhoon Damrey last November.

The first ship, Fei Yeu 9, belonged to Mongolia and was carrying a load of more than 4,000 tonnes. It had 15 crew members and was pushed by strong waves and wind towards the Ghenh Rang mountain in Quy Nhon City. The entire crew was saved by the Binh Dinh Border Guards. The ship, however, could not be salvaged. Local authorities transferred more than 30 tonnes of oil from the ship in time, preventing an oil spill.

The second ship, Jupiter, was from Cambodia. It was a tourist ship that was out of work and did not carry any oil. It was being towed from Van Phong Bay in the central province of Khanh Hoa to the northern port of Hai Phong to be repaired when it was hit by strong waves of the typhoon. Local authorities recovered two bodies of the crew members, while the remaining five were missing.

Officials from Quy Nhon Maritime Administration said the two ships were damaged beyond repair. They therefore agreed to sell them as scrap, with the consent of the ship owners. 

The decision was taken late as it took a long time to complete the legal procedures, given they were foreign ships that sank in Vietnamese waters. Moreover, the ship owners were hoping to find the five crew members, which delayed any decision. — VNS