Quang Ngai, Sept. 20 -- Authorities in central Quang Ngai province are urgently coordinating measures to respond to an incident involving the Greek-flagged ore carrier Merchant Mariner, which took on water in its ballast tanks while approaching Dung Quat waters.

According to the Quang Ngai Maritime Port Authority and the Dung Quat Port Border Guard Station, the incident occurred about 15 nautical miles from the anchorage area at around 4pm on September 18, 2026, when the vessel was carrying more than 174,000 tonnes of iron ore from Malaysia to Dung Quat Port.

The captain discovered water entering ballast tanks No. 4, 5 and 6 on the port side, causing the vessel to list slightly. Initial assessments indicated that the vessel may have str...