On September 8, while waiting to dock at Diem Dien Port, the Ha An 1 faced heavy rain and strong winds, causing it to lose power. It was towed nearer to the port to await docking when flood tides were higher. But, some hours later, it sank due to rough seas, leading to the oil spill.
Hundreds of hectares of oysters in Thai Thuy District have died after the oil slick
The ship was successfully salvaged on the evening of September 11.
However, following the oil spill, hundreds of hectares of oyster farms in Thai Do Commune, Thai Thuy District, have died.
Nguyen Van Thong, a local resident, said that a large amount of his family's two hectares of oysters died following the oil spill.
Around 30-35 percent of Pham Van Thang’s 27 hectares of oysters also died, resulting in losses of VND6 billion (USD258,620).
According to a representative from Thai Do Commune’s authorities, after the oil spill, a task force checked the local oyster breeding area which covers a total of 500 hectares, detecting the presence of oil in the area.
Samples of oysters were taken for testing after the case was reported to the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development.