On 10 June, Mr. Tran Ngoc Thoi - Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee – departments, sections and industries worked with PetroVietnam Gas (PVGas) concerning assistance for PVGas to transport Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to supply Vietnam market easily and safely.
According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son, PVGas’s General Director, to perform the task of supplying LPG to Vietnam market when Dung Quat Refinery has not gone to operation, PVGas chartered the 50.000 DWT Chelsea Bridge vessel to transship LPG imported by cold-storage warehouse to small vessles in order to supply to customers at Go Da transshipment points belonging to Ba Ria – Vung Tau province.
On 12 April, Chelsea Bridge went to the anchorage and on 19 April it started to transship the first LPG with the quantity of 43,000 tons.
Since 22 April until now, Chelsea Bridge carried out more than 10 trips of transshipment to over 2,000DWT small vessels. On 5 June, VietGas vessel draw alongside the Chelsea Bridge for goods receipt, owing to influence by winds causing heavy waves, the right side of the VietGas vessel hit against the left side of the Chelsea Bridge causing this vessel floated away from the anchorage which can be implicit traffic accident risks, block the traffic at Cai Mep and Thi Vai port system.
Faced with this case, to ensure absolutely safety for anchoring vessels, PVGas suggested the province to allow dropping anchors by fixed concrete.
However, at the meeting, Vung Tau Port Authority disagreed with the location of the Chelsea Bridge’s anchorage and requested PVGas to find another position as this is the middle position of Long Tau River, a blood – line to Thi Vai, Cai Mep system.
While Chelsea Bridge is considered a surface godown, time of standing at the anchorage is long, with kind of hazardous and inflammable goods...
To conclude at the meeting, Mr. Tran Ngoc Thoi decided that Ba Ria – Vung Tau province is ready to support PVGas in ensuring safety, security for Chelsea Bridge vessel. However, all issues concerning to concrete fixed anchorage or other technical issues do not fall within the competence of the province. PVGas must ask Vietnam Marine Administration for advises and unify with appropriate authorities in the province. He also requested PVGas to take the initiative to coordinate with appropriate authorities and related localities like Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai to build specific management regulation, to put forward the most safety measures.
Yen Phuong
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