A three-week mission to rescue a foreign chemical tanker that ran aground off the south-central Vietnamese province of Binh Thuan last month has ended successfully.
The vessel Chemroad Journey from the Cayman Islands carrying nearly 30,000 tons of industrial chemicals was pulled away from the shallow waters on Sunday morning, ending a 23-day rescue effort in triumph.
According to the Vietnam National Search and Rescue Committee (VNSRC), the Panamanian oil tanker Sun Mercury approached the Caymanian ship at around 2:00 am to receive 8,000 out of the 30,000 tons of chemicals.
The attempt had helped the Chemroad Journey, which tilted to its side after running aground, regain its balance, before being towed from the area.
At around 3:30 am on the same day, rescuers from Vietnam and the Philippines escorted the tanker to Phu Quy Island off Binh Thuan Province.
The Chemroad Journey is rescued on July 2, 2017. Photo: Vietnam National Search and Rescue Committee
The Chemroad Journey was on its way from Singapore to China on June 10, when it grounded near Da Ty Islet, 28 nautical miles to the south of Phu Quy Island.
The ship was carrying industrial chemicals, namely butyraldehyde, ethylene glycol, ethyl hexanol, and ethanol amine, as well as 170 tons of fuel oil and 113 tons of diesel oil.
Prior to the rescue mission, the VNSRC had asked the captain 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, some 826 metric tons of chemicals on the ship were transferred from its bow to other areas to prevent leakage and to help its front float.
