The authorities of the coastal province Ba Ria-Vung Tau ordered two hydrofoil companies to assume responsibility for their passengers stress and losses caused by an accident over a month ago.

Quang Hung Ltd. and Dong Song Xanh Ltd. are required to accept full responsibility for the inconveniences their passengers experienced and to pay these passengers compensation, said the Ba Ria- Vung Tau Department of Transportation.

In early August, the hydrofoil ship Greenline 3 of the Dong Song Xanh Ltd. met with an accident which pierced the ships hold off the coast of Vung Tau. As water rose in the ships hold, the ship staff made no efforts to reassure the terrified passengers or to give them any safety instructions. The panic-stricken passengers were rescued later thanks to a rescue boat which managed to reach the damaged ship in time.

Thanh Nien newspaper later published a letter by Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, a passenger on the Greenline 3, describing the terror that he and other passengers went through.

After Mr. Hungs letter was published, a representative from Quang Hung Ltd. came to Thanh Nien headquarters, saying it was Dong Song Xanh Ltd., not Quang Hung Ltd. that should have claimed responsibility for the mishap.

However, in a follow-up article dated Aug. 13, Thanh Nien newspaper made it clear that passengers purchased their tickets from Quang Hung Ltd., not Dong Song Xanh Ltd.

Quang Hung Ltd. and Dong Song Xanh Ltd. had earlier agreed that passengers who purchased tickets from either company could board either of their ships. However, both companies remained silent on the matter and assumed no responsibility for the trouble they caused to their passengers.

In response to their irresponsibility, Mr. Hung decided to lodge several complaints with the relevant authorities, demanding an official apology and compensation from Quang Hung Ltd., from whom he bought his ticket.

After a working session with all parties involved on Aug. 26, 2004, the Ba Ria Vung Tau Department of Transportation issued a statement requesting both companies to assume full responsibility and offer compensation to the passengers.

The statement also included specific training requirements for crews on passenger ships, such as crowd-management training for emergency evacuations.

Reported by CTBD Translated by Tran Phong.