A collision on the waterway between a barge and a ship Tuesday afternoon (Dec 15) caused 40,000 litres of petrol to seep into Tien River, in south Tien Giang Province in Vietnam.

The barge carrying construction materials crashed into the ship carrying 1.2 million litre of petrol.

The authorities were working to control the situation, Deputy Head of Tien Giang's Waterway Police Department Colonel Nguyen Thanh Liem said.

Image: nld.com.vn

The accident caused a 3-metre gash in the ship SG2674 and resulted in nearly 40,000 litre of petrol flowing into the Tien River, according to Tien Giang's Waterway Police Department.

The accident shut down the petrol-laden ship's engine due to which it was unable to anchor and be immobilised. Due to the high volume of traffic in the area, Petrolimex Waterway Oil Transport Company mobilised staff and two other ships in the rescue work.

Pumping of the remaining petrol from SG2674 to another ship was scheduled in order a fire and more fuel seeping into the river to be prevented.

Tien Giang police is investigating the accident to determine the cause and ensure resumption of operations on the waterway.

Source: vietnamnews.vn