An investigation into the maritime accident involving 42 cars has been requested

Morning Vinafco ship at Ben Nghe port, Ho Chi Minh City on December 24, 2023.

37 containers fall into the sea

According to the case file, Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited hired Vinafco Sea Transport Joint Stock Company to transport 15 containers (containing 45 electric cars) from Chua Ve port (Hai Phong) to Ben Nghe (Ho Chi Minh City).

On December 20, 2023, at Chua Ve port, the goods were loaded onto the Morning Vinafco ship of Vinafco Sea Transport Joint Stock Company.

On December 22, 2023, when the Morning Vinafco ship was sailing in the Quang Nam sea area, an incident occurred that caused 37 containers on the ship to fall into the sea, including 14 containers containing cars of Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited.

On June 6, 2024, the leaders of the Vietnam Maritime Administration sent a official dispatch 2450/CHHVN - ATANHH to Da Nang Maritime Port and Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port regarding the verification and investigation of the Morning Vinafco ship container falling incident at sea.

The Vietnam Maritime Administration assigned Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port to preside over and coordinate with Da Nang Maritime Port and other relevant agencies and units to verify the incident.

In this letter, the Vietnam Maritime Administration noted that the containers on board carrying cars may pose a risk of polluting the marine environment.

After the direction of the Vietnam Maritime Administration, on August 9, 2024, Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port issued letter number 48/BC-CVHHTPHCM to report the verification of the Morning Vinafco ship incident. However, in the report, Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port stated that the incident did not have any factors causing environmental pollution.

Disagreeing with the report of Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port in letter number 48/BC-CVHHTPHCM, on August 19, 2024, Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited sent an official dispatch 91/2024/CV-CHH to the Vietnam Maritime Administration and Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port, requesting to organize a meeting with relevant parties to discuss a number of contents, including environmental pollution.

Based on the request of Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited, on August 28, 2024, a meeting took place at the headquarters of Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port with participants including representatives of Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port, Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited, Vinafco Sea Transport Joint Stock Company, and Truong Nam Company - Ho Chi Minh City Branch (the enterprise also had containers transported on the Morning Vinafco ship that fell into the sea like Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited).

In the conclusion of the meeting, the representative of Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port requested the relevant parties to continue to urgently cooperate to resolve the issue in a cooperative and open-minded spirit.

Requesting the relevant parties to continue to cooperate with Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port, provide, supplement relevant documents, conclusions, appraisal reports, and evidence related to the aforementioned incident to serve the verification work in an objective manner, in accordance with the law.

Environmental pollution risk

Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited disagrees with the assessment of Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port. According to Phuong Anh's analysis, among the 37 containers that fell into the sea and went missing, there were 14 containers containing the company's entire cars and many containers containing cars of two other companies.

Inside the 14 containers of Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited alone, there were a total of 42 brand-new cars, including 26 electric cars. These electric cars contained lithium-ion batteries, which are a type of hazardous chemical. When falling into the sea, these chemicals would leak, posing a danger to the environment. The amount of batteries contained in the 26 electric cars that fell into the sea alone amounted to several tons of hazardous chemicals, but Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port has not yet summarized, investigated, or clarified this.

Based on the provisions of point b, clause 2, Article 4, and clause 1, Article 11 of Circular No. 01/2020/TT-BGTVT dated January 20, 2020 of the Minister of Transport on reporting and investigating maritime accidents, Phuong Anh Trading and Transport Company Limited considers the incident of 37 containers on the Morning Vinafco ship falling into the sea mentioned above to be a serious maritime accident, therefore, a maritime accident investigation must be conducted to determine the conditions, circumstances, and causes of the accident.