Dung Quat Shipyard Explosion Fire: Safety Supervisor Faces Prosecution

Quang Ngai Provincial Police have completed their investigation and recommended the prosecution of Nhan Van Tam, a defendant in the case of fire and explosion at Dung Quat Shipyard. The incident occurred at the Dung Quat Shipyard, a subsidiary of the Dung Quat Economic Zone (now Đóng tàu và Công nghiệp cơ khí dầu khí Limited Company). On November 3, 2023, during the periodic repair of the oil tanker "Legend" (owned by Gas Venus Limited Company) at the Dung Quat Shipyard, Mr. Nhan Van Tam, an safety supervisor, listed some workers on the work permit for the ship's pump room without fully complying with labor safety regulations. At approximately 1:15 PM on the same day, when workers were preparing to use a welding machine for construction inside the pump room, a fire and explosion occurred. The explosion caused severe burns to 9 workers, including the deaths of Mr. P.V.L and Mr. P.V.V. The remaining 7 individuals sustained injuries with a total body damage rate of 466%. During the investigation, the investigation agency requested the Department of Forensic Science of the Quang Ngai Provincial Police to determine the cause of the fire and explosion. According to the Forensic Science Department's conclusion (No. 1078/KL-KTHS, dated November 14, 2023), the cause of the fire and explosion was oil vapor from the ship's Void (hollow tank) rising and accumulating in the pump room. When the concentration reached the explosive limit, it ignited due to a heat source – an electric spark from the welding machine during operation – leading to the fire and explosion inside the ship's pump room. The investigation determined that Mr. Nhan Van Tam had unilaterally added the names of some workers to the work permit, even though these individuals were not on the previously established list. Mr. Nhan Van Tam, born in 1981 and residing in Binh Minh commune, Quang Ngai province, is an safety supervisor at Dung Quat Shipyard and Industrial Mechanical Company Limited. He has been prosecuted for "Violating Labor Safety Regulations" under Point b, Clause 3, Article 295 of the Penal Code. Thus, three years after the serious fire and explosion incident that caused multiple deaths and injuries, the investigating agency has concluded its investigation and recommended that the People's Procuracy of District 2, Quang Ngai province, prosecute the defendant Nhan Van Tam in accordance with the law.