Vietnam suspends maritime pilot after Marshall Islands-flagged ship hits Dung Quat wharf

On Friday, the administration’s leadership said it had been informed of the suspension by Branch of Northern Maritime Pilotage One Member Co., Ltd. – Pilotage IV.

The suspension came after the People’s Court of Region 2 in Quang Ngai issued an order on October 21 to detain Aquacharm following the collision.

The vessel, which bears IMO number 9921609, is owned by Panama-registered Wealth Line Inc., while S&A Maritime JSC acts as its shipping agent in Vietnam, according to the administration.

During the detention period, Aquacharm is prohibited from leaving the port waters under the administration’s jurisdiction and must remain at its designated anchorage, the administration said.

The captain must ensure that the vessel retains a full crew and maintains watches in accordance with regulations.

The ship must also comply with maritime safety and security requirements and take measures to prevent environmental pollution while at anchor.

According to the Quang Ngai Maritime Administration, the 292-meter-long vessel, with a deadweight tonnage of 182,309 metric tons, was carrying 170,856 metric tons of iron ore from Australia when it arrived at the Dung Quat anchorage at 4:56 am on October 14.

At 4:45 pm on October 18, the pilot contacted the Dung Quat vessel traffic service to inform it that he would board the vessel to assist in guiding it to wharf No. 10 as planned.

At around 5:45 pm, while maneuvering toward the wharf, the vessel struck an under-construction section connecting wharves No. 10 and No. 11.

The collision damaged the ship’s bow and the wharf, according to the administration.

After the incident, the captain and pilot continued maneuvering the vessel to wharf No. 10, and the pilot reported that the ship had berthed at 6:30 pm.

Dung Quat Border Guard Station dispatched a team to the scene to verify the incident, work with those involved and draw up a report at 8:50 pm that day.

An initial inspection found a gash about five meters long in the ship’s bow, with damage to both its port and starboard sides.

All 22 crew members aboard the vessel were safe, while the damage to the wharf and the resulting financial losses were still being assessed, according to the border guard station.

Following the collision, the Quang Ngai Maritime Administration established an eight-member maritime accident investigation team led by Phan Duc Cuong, deputy director of the administration.