Fuel and other oil leaking from a foreign ship that sank in the Soai Rap River in Ho Chi Minh City’s Nha Be District on Monday has been contained, Vietnamnet reports.

The Union of the Comoros-flagged ship could not be saved, according to Sam, as its starboard side was already underwater when Dai Minh learned of the mishap early the same day.

He adds that the high tide at the time would have made it too dangerous to approach the sinking vessel anyway.

Tran Van Xinh, head of Ho Chi Minh City Sea Traffic Police, says the Lady Belinda had sustained a large hole in its hull after crashing into the Muong Chuoi Bridge while drifting along the river on Saturday. The collision snapped a bridge girder.

Last month, the same cargo ship broke anchor and drifted into the prow of a barge called the Binh Khanh.

The supervisor of the damaged barge then demanded compensation of more than VND100 million from the owners of the wayward ship.

The Lady Belinda had been lying at anchor on the Soai Rap River since May 2008 with tens of thousands of tons of iron ore but no crew members aboard.

Source: Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre