A small container ship loading containers in a Vietnamese port lost stability causing it to roll on its side and lose its deck loaded cargo. Vietnamese authorities are not reporting any injuries, but are warning of a navigation hazard. Ships are being advised to use alternate routes while a recovery operation is underway.
The 2,470 dwt cargo vessel named Alica and registered in Mongolia was alongside at the Hiep Phuoc Port in the Nha Be District south of Ho Chi Minh City on the Soai Rap River. According to reports from the port authority, the 34-year-old vessel, which has a length of approximately 250 feet, was loading containers before a scheduled departure for Indonesia.
The video images suggest the ship might have been using its booms to load containers. The port authority reports a total of 54 containers were deck loaded when the vessel lost stability causing it to heel to port. While sitting at that exaggerated angle, the containers began tumbling overboard. The vessel remains tied to the dock having partially righted after losing the containers.
Media reports say that a total of 18 containers fell from the ship into the Soai Rap River with some sinking alongside and others remaining afloat. Some containers were reportedly retrieved after having floated more than a half-mile away.
