In the case of the barge sinking in Ly Son sea, the tugboat is missing and it is not yet known if it is sunk or drifting

On the afternoon of April 24, Colonel Tran Tuan Anh – commander of the Border Guard of Quang Ngai province – said: “After finding the bodies of three crew members, the authorities are continuing to search for the remaining two people who are still alive.” missing. The sunken barge has been identified, but it is unclear whether the tugboat has sunk or encountered a problem of drifting.

It has not been determined whether the ship towing the barge sank or drifted

According to the border guard, the highest possibility is that the tugboat also sank.

Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority also sent an urgent document to many relevant units requesting to coordinate the search for the two remaining crew members.

More than 10 ships of the competent forces, fishermen’s ships and other ships on the Sa Ky – Ly Son route are expanding the search scope. The search force hopes that a miracle will appear, the two remaining crew members are still alive.

In the express report of the Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority, it also said that the tugboat LA-06695 has not verified the information. The Maritime Port Authority contacted all crew members directly but did not respond.

Contact with Mr. Pham Van Hiep (permanent resident of Long An province), captain of the tugboat, was also unsuccessful.

The authorities also initially determined that in addition to Mr. Hiep, the remaining 4 crew members include: Vo Tan Khuong (Quang Ngai) – chief engineer; Vo Van Nhieu (Quang Ngai) – mechanic; Bui Minh Tri (Quang Ngai) – sailor; Dang Minh Phuong (Long An) – sailor.

“We are contacting the families of the crew members to determine the identities of the 3 bodies found so they can be brought home for relatives to take care of the funeral. The exact identities have not yet been determined,” Mr. Le Van Luong, director of Director of Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority, said.

Tugboats and barges ensure safety

Authorities determined that tugboat LA-06695 towing barge LA-06883 completed procedures to leave Ky Ha port at 10:00 a.m. on April 23 and departed at 11:30 a.m. on April 23. The cargo on the barge was stone transported from Ky Ha port (Quang Nam) to Ly Son island (Quang Ngai), to serve the construction of Ben Dinh port breakwater.

The certificate of technical safety and environmental protection for inland waterway vehicles of tugboats and barges is valid until February 26, 2025.

The barge sank at 4:00 a.m. on April 24 at a location with coordinates about 150 23′ 14N; 1090 02′ 30E (last AIS signal location), before completely sinking. This location is about 3 nautical miles north of Ly Son island.

The above tugboat and barge are owned by Minh Linh Company Limited (Long An).

Although it was determined that the tugboat had sunk, because the ship’s location and information had not yet been determined, external authorities actively searched for the two remaining crew members and continued to contact the captain, hoping that the ship would encounter trouble. tries and stalls and drifts.

“While the exact information about the sunken tugboat has not yet been determined, there is still hope. The task now is to expand the scope of the active search,” Colonel Tran Tuan Anh said.