Some 220 firemen from Quang Ngai Police Department and the Fire Prevention and Combating Department under the Ministry of Public Security took part in a fire-fighting drill conducted on Wharf No 1 at Dung Quat Port on March 20.

Doctors from Quang Ngai Health Department and representatives of the Binh Son Petro-Chemical Co Ltd, the operator of Dung Quat Oil Refinery, also participated in the drill.

Under the scenario, after a fire broke out at 8:30 am on an oil tanker docked at the wharf, the fire-fighting forces from Dung Quat Port and tanker crew members took measures to stamp out the fire and prevent it from spreading to other port facilities.

Quang Ngai Police Department, the provincial health authority and Binh Son Petro-Chemical Co sent firemen and doctors to the site to fight the fire and administer first aid.

Crew members from the tanker who jumped into the sea were rescued and taken to safety.

The "fire" was extinguished in 30 minutes and oil spill response forces used buoys to prevent the oil from spreading out to sea.

The drill was part of the 8th National Labour Hygiene Safety and Explosion, Fire Prevention, and Combating Week launched by the Quang Ngai People's Committee.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Rie Vejeldgaard, head of the International Labour Organisation in Ha Noi, said businesses should pay greater attention to labour hygiene safety and explosion/fire combating because it benefits labourers while concurrently creating favourable conditions for sustainable business development.

The ceremony was attended by about 1,000 representatives of the Government, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the business community and locality representatives from Central Vietnam./.