The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters was activated for an oil spill off the coast of Viet Nam. The mechanism was activated by the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) on behalf of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (Vietnam) to receive satellite-based emergency information and maps.
Approximately five kilometers of the Viet Nam coast were coated in oil on 2 March 2015, washed ashore from a yet unknown source, but according to conjectures, the incident has resulted from an oil spill in the East Viet Nam Sea on 27 February. Since it is not the first time that incidents alike happen at this time of the year, authorities now attempting to determine the source and cause of these oil spills.
The area affected by the pollution was Vung Tau city, in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, located on Viet Nam's southern coast. 30 tons of tainted sand were already recovered by hundreds of workers. The oil could not be recycled, because it was hazardous waste material.
