Traffic police and port authorities check life jackets on a tourism ship in the northern province of Quảng Ninh. The country will start a campaign to check the safety of vehicles on their waterways late this month. – Photo thanhtra.com.vn

HÀ NỘI – The Việt Nam Inland Waterways Administration (VIWA) has asked the waterway police departments in cities and provinces to start a campaign to check the safety of vehicles on their waterways.

The campaign will take place later this month, deemed an action month for waterway traffic safety, following the request of Deputy Minister of Transport Lê Đình Thọ.

Under the campaign, waterway traffic police will check and penalise drivers of unregistered waterway vehicles, overloaded vehicles and those that do not comply with technical safety specifications. Drivers who do not have the proper qualifications will also be fined.

Inspections will be stepped up on vehicles transporting building materials including stones, sand and gravel.

The VIWA asked the Traffic Police Department to stay in touch with and share information on violations with the local inland waterways administrations and registry departments for more efficient management.

Hoàng Hồng Giang, director of the VIWA, said waterway traffic safety had recently shown significant results and waterway traffic accidents had reduced due to good co-ordination between the traffic police and inland waterways police.

However, the results were not sustainable and risks of waterway accidents remain, Giang said.

Three waterway accidents occurred last month, seriously affecting waterway, railway and road traffic and causing great losses for the State.

On March 6, the Thành Luân 28 Ship, which was past its best use period, voluntarily left its port and crashed into An Thái Bridge on Kinh Thầy River in the northern province of Hải Dương. The crash seriously damaged the bridge.

On March 12, an unregistered waterway vehicle crashed into Cơn Độ Bridge on Nhà Lê Cannal in the central province of Hà Tĩnh, causing it to collapse.

On March 20, another ship that was past its best use period, crashed into the Ghềnh Bridge piles in Biên Hòa City in the southern province of Đồng Nai, and two of the piles collapsed. — VNS