Tugs and another cargo vessel have been brought in to unload a Japanese bulker that grounded off Vietnam on 19 June.
The Vietnam Plus website reported that the 34,400-dwt Nemrut Bay (built 2019) got stuck 10 miles from the La Gi estuary, off Binh Thuan province.
On Monday morning, four tugs operated by Tan Cang Marine Services Company, under the ownership of Saigon Newport Corporation and the navy, approached the Panama-flag handysize.
The vessel had been en route from the Philippines to Vung Tao port in Vietnam when it grounded on a bed of corals mixed with sand and limestone at Britto Shoal, the report said.
The 178-metre Nemrut Bay is carrying a cargo of 25,510 tonnes of steel. There are also 853 tonnes of fuel on board.
Authorities warned there was a risk of pollution if a salvage did not take place promptly.
A series of refloating attempts have failed, meaning lightering was deemed necessary.
Four tugs and a cargo ship are now in attendance.
Booms have been deployed around the bulker.
Four-day operation?
It is estimated that the salvage will take three or four days.
The last AIS update came on 18 June when the ship was underway to Vung Tao.
UK shipbroker Clarksons lists the owner as Nikko Kisen, part of Japanese shipowning group Nissen Kaiun.
There are no port state detentions on the vessel's record.
The bulker has insurance cover through the NorthStandard club in the UK.
