Ministry of Construction: Coordinate with local authorities to handle oil spill incident in Ho Chi Minh City

Authorities collect oil spill in Can Gio - Photo: SOS Center

According to the Ministry of Construction , in the first 4 months of 2025, with the participation of ministries, branches and localities, the traffic order and safety situation has achieved many positive results, traffic accidents have decreased in all three criteria, and the awareness of traffic participants has improved significantly.

However, recently, there have been a number of traffic accidents causing great loss of life and property. Typical examples include the passenger bus overturning in Vinh Phuc on April 26; the aviation incident at Tan Son Nhat Airport on May 7; the ship collision causing an oil spill in Ho Chi Minh City on April 25; the road subsidence in Tay Ninh on May 11, along with many shortcomings in traffic organization on highways.

Strengthening supervision and handling of violations in automobile transportation business activities

To rectify the situation, the Ministry of Construction requested the People's Committees of provinces and cities to direct competent agencies to strictly implement the plan to ensure traffic safety, especially to strengthen supervision and handle violations in automobile transportation business activities.

At the same time, coordinate with the Ministry of Construction to review and overcome shortcomings in traffic organization and road signaling systems according to the direction of the Prime Minister; deploy measures to ensure traffic safety at crowded tourist destinations and on waterways during the 2025 flood season.

The Vietnam Road Administration is assigned to review existing problems in road traffic infrastructure, especially on highways; and to compile a report to the Ministry before May 31.

Local coordination in oil spill response

The Vietnam Maritime Administration and the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration coordinate with localities to handle the oil spill incident in Ho Chi Minh City, identify areas at risk of collision, propose short-term and long-term solutions, and complete before May 31.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam must report the cause, hold a meeting to review the incident at Tan Son Nhat, and implement a plan to enhance aviation safety during the summer tourist season.

The Department of Economics - Construction Investment Management, the Vietnam Road Administration and Project Management Boards need to speed up progress and ensure safety when putting the project into operation.

The Department of Transport and Traffic Safety (Ministry of Construction) is assigned to preside over monitoring, urging and synthesizing reports to the Minister, as a basis for reporting to the Prime Minister.

Earlier, late on April 25, a Panamanian container ship collided with a Hong Kong cargo ship on the Long Tau River, passing through An Thoi Dong Commune, Can Gio District. The two ships stuck together, one of which had its bow deformed, while the other sank its stern after the collision. The cargo on board was damaged, and oil spilled into the river.

Up to now, the oil spill has spread to about 36 areas along the rivers in Can Gio, penetrating many aquaculture rafts of households. After inspection, the units also found that nearly 31 hectares of forest in the area had oil sticking to the soil, trees...

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Maritime Port Authority, as of May 7, forces had sucked more than 1,261 m3 of oil from the Hong Kong ship; nearly 3.2 tons of supplies and garbage contaminated with oil in the area around the scene. Currently, many related forces are still on duty to respond to the incident.

Long Tau River is a branch of Dong Nai River, passing through Can Gio District and then flowing into Ganh Rai Bay. This is an important waterway in the Southeast, where large ships from the East Sea enter Saigon Port and the surrounding area. In 2023, on this section of the river, there was also a collision between two cargo ships entering and leaving the port, but there was no oil spill.

Phan Trang

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/bo-xay-dung-phoi-hop-dia-phuong-xu-ly-su-co-tran-dau-tai-tphcm-102250512162952071.htm