The maritime rescue service said the Viking Sky, with 1,373 passengers and crew on board, had sent out a mayday signal as it had been drifting toward land in the Norwegian Sea. The ship was carrying 915 passengers, of which "a large number" were from the United States and Britain, the rescue service said, although it declined to be more specific. The crew was able to restart one of the ship’s four engines and the vessel was at anchor about 2 km (1.24 miles) from land and the passengers were considered safe although the evacuation was set to continue throughout the night. Some 155 people had been evacuated by 2140 GMT, rescue service spokesman Per Fjeld said. The sea was very rough and eight of those pulled from the ship had suffered injuries, with three of those considered severe, public broadcaster NRK reported, quoting unnamed sources. Passengers were hoisted one-by-one from the deck of the vessel and airlifted to a village just north of the town of Molde on Norway’s west … [Read more...] about Passengers airlifted from crippled cruise ship in storm off Norway
S s norway cruise ship
Cruise ship stalled off Norway, passengers evacuated
The maritime rescue service said the Viking Sky had been drifting towards land and had sent out a mayday signal. The vessel was later able to restart one engine, and was at anchor about 2 km from land and no longer adrift, the rescue service told Reuters. Passengers were hoisted up one by one from the deck of the vessel and airlifted to a village located just north of the town of Molde on Norway's west coast. "If we need to evacuate everyone, it will take a long time," a spokesman said. The ship, built in 2017, belongs to Viking Ocean Cruises, part of the Viking Cruises group founded by Norwegian billionaire Torstein Hagen. According to the company website, its passenger capacity is 930. Several vessels and four helicopters took part in the rescue and facilities to receive passengers have been set up on land, the rescue service said. Wind was blowing at a speed of 38 knots, police told Norwegian newspaper VG. All search and rescue teams in the region are mobilising, including 60 … [Read more...] about Cruise ship stalled off Norway, passengers evacuated
BUSINESS NEWS 28/1
Vietnamese prefer overseas sites for online shopping Vietnamese online shoppers spend significantly more on overseas purchases than they do domestically as they believe international e-commerce platforms offer better products and service quality, a new report has said. The report, from the Vietnam E-commerce Association or VECOM, said that many global retailers like Amazon and eBay have made it easier for Vietnamese consumers to buy online. “Meanwhile, a majority of Vietnamese e-businesses, especially small- and medium-sized companies, have yet to make significant investments in market research catering to consumers,” said the report. Local online shopping sites are less competitive in terms of product diversity and quality, return policy, and order placement costs, the report highlighted. “I shop on both eBay and Amazon,” Quoc Hung, a VnExpress reader said in a comment. “I can just send a product back if I don’t like it.” Most Vietnamese … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS 28/1
Vietnam’s foreign visitors hit all-time high
More Chinese tourists flocked to Vietnam in February as flights to Ho Chi Minh City and central Vietnam grew. Vietnam launches e-visas for visitors from 40 countries Vietnam aims to gain $35 billion from tourism in 2020 Tourists from around the world continued to flood into Vietnam in February, when the country saw a record 1.2 million foreign arrivals. The figure represents a 42.2 percent leap from last February and a 20 percent increase from the previous month, Saigon Times Online reported, citing data from the Department of Tourism. During the first two months of 2017, the country received 2.2 million foreign visitors, up 33 percent from the same period last year. Many local travel agencies, such as Saigontourist, ICS Travel Group and Lien Bang Travelink, reported excellent outbound tourism figures in the month of February as well. Some companies saw guest arrivals surge by around 40 percent on-year, while some big hotels in Ho Chi Minh City reported occupancies of over 80 … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s foreign visitors hit all-time high
Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong
07/07/2014Business New domestic shipping route launched A domestic shipping route connecting northern province of Quang Ninh and central province of Quang Binh was officially opened on July 6. 29/01/2013Society Flyovers to cut traffic congestion HCM City opened two flyovers on January 27, aimed at easing traffic congestion at Hang Xanh and Thu Duc crossroads. 13/07/2012Society Asia-Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies meet More than 70 delegates from countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region and international organisations are attending the 13th Asia Pacific Heads of Maritime Safety Agencies Forum that opened in the central coastal city of Nha Trang on July 10. … [Read more...] about Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong