What Crew Members Say About Mekong

On July 12 at 7 p.m. the rudderless "Anh Son" was towed safely to port. The crew and cargo were in good condition. The ship will spend four days in port to unload its cargo. The crew was supplied with 200 tons of water, one ton of rice and other food for two months. So far nearly $ 150,000 were spent for tow, food and water. The insurance company PNI has sent experts to estimate the damage the "Anh Son" has suffered.

The "Anh Son" was expected to be towed to the Kolkatta Port on July 11 after the Kolkata port authority has allowed the Vietnamese vessel to enter the port at the request of Viet Nam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as guarantees given by insurance agencies. The Anh Son Co. has hired an Indian firm to tow the cargo ship to the Kolkata Port for US $101,000. The towing of the "Anh Son" was delayed over an insurance dispute. Already last week the company had hired an Indian rescue company to tow the ship to port but the ship's insurer refused to pay the towing cost of US $250,000. The Indian port authorities wanted a guarantee from the insurer before it would allow the vessel to be towed in. The insurer had refused to foot the bill saying the cause of the accident was an unexpected fault and not covered by the insurance agreement. The "Anh Son" was carrying wood from Hai Phong to India when its rudder broke down 32 nautical miles off the coast of India on June 26. The ship, with 15 crew on board, had been drifting in rough seas since. At the request of MRCC Viet Nam, its Indian counterpart in Chennai sent planes and rescue vessels to the distressed ship, and reported it was 30 nautical miles off the coast, and that the crew were safe and in normal health.

The 15 sailors stranded on a stricken Vietnamese vessel near the mouth of the Hooghly for nearly a week now may finally get permission to enter either the Haldia Dock Complex or Kolkata Dock System on Tuesday. Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) officials hope to get a positive response from the P&I (Protection and Indemnity) Club which was asked by them to take full responsibility of the vessel, which has a damaged rudder. The MV Ahn Son, a 90-foot long of Dead Weight Tonnage of 4,374 tonnes, was first spotted near the Sandheads on June 27. The ship, carrying logs, had a damaged rudder and could not steer properly. When KoPT officials came to know of this, contact was made with the owners in Vietnam and the shipping agent. With the owner pleading bankruptcy and refusing to take any responsibility, the agent also backed off. Port officials then asked the ship to proceed to some other port with a shorter navigation channel. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Hope-for-Vietnamese-sailors-stranded-near-Hooghly-mouth/articleshow/14782487.cms