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Vung Tau oil spill costs $16 million, cleanup continues

VUNG TAU — The oil spill that followed last month’s collision between a Vietnamese tanker and a Taiwanese ship off the coast of Ba Ria-Vung Tau resulted in financial losses of VND250 billion (US$16 million), the provincial People’s Committee has said.

The spill, caused by a collision between the Vietnamese oil tanker Petrolimex 01 and the Taiwanese-run, Liberian-registered Formosa 1, has caused extensive environmental damage at nearby tourist beaches, shrimp farms and mangrove forests.

Losses of VND108 billion, the heaviest of any sector, were seen in the local fisheries industry, while local tourism enterprises have racked up combined losses of VND43.8 billion.

The local farming sector, including the salt production industry, lost nearly VND27.8 billion, and the cost of dealing with health problems caused by the spill is estimated at VND11.21 billion.

The authorities have estimated that the total cost of cleaning up polluted waters and beaches would reach VND60 billion.

Some 900cu.m of DO oil poured into Vung Tau waters after the Formosa ploughed into the Viet Nam Tanker Company’s (Vitaco) Petrolimex 01 early in September.

Soon after the accident, which was later blamed on the carelessness of the Formosa’s crew, the Vung Tau Department of Science, Technology and Environment (DoSTE) and local sea rescue units carried out a number of interim measures to try to contain the oil slick.

DoSTE has filed a suit against both Vitaco and Formosa Plastics for environmental pollution and damage to local waters, while Vitaco has also sued Formosa Plastics to recover its losses.

Based on Vitaco’s petition, the Ba Ria-Vung Tau People’s Court decided to put Formosa 1’s crew under arrest and at the same time required it to place a deposit of $17.2 million if they wanted to set sail.

A two-day fact-finding mission by the National Assembly’s Science, Technology and Environment Committee asked provincial authorities to promptly draw up a long-term strategy to prevent and deal with future spills.

"The sea is at high risk of oil spills because it has several oil fields under exploitation and is also an important international marine thoroughfare," the committee said.

The provincial People’s Committee has meanwhile asked the Government and relevant ministries, branches and scientific institutes to help them set up a special oil spill task force, to work on remedies for the environmental damage the province is suffering. — VNS

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