Typhoon Drives Cargo Ship Ashore and Causes Widespread Damage in Vietnam

Vietnamese officials are reporting widespread damage as the 14th named storm of the 2025 season, Typhoon Kajiki, slammed ashore Monday night into Tuesday morning, August 25-26. A large cargo ship was driven onto the shore, and at least four people have died from injuries and flooding during the powerful storm.

The storm was traveling west across the Pacific, encountering the Philippines as a tropical depression and dropping large amounts of rain on portions of China. By the time it reached Vietnam, it had strengthened with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, according to NASA. Other parts of Vietnam were reporting sustained winds of 82 mph.

Vietnam had been preparing for the storm. At least half a million people had been evacuated before Kajiki reached the coastline.

The wood chip carrier Thanh Thanh Dat 99 (22,300 dwt) had been anchored at the northern port of Ninh Binh, but on the evening of August 25, during a lull ahead of the storm attempted to sail south toward Nghi Son port. The ship, which is 495 feet (151 meters) in length, was traveling only with ballast as it was due to load in Nghi Son.

 

 

The captain reported that by the time they reached the anchorage, the winds and waves were too strong to drop anchor. They were attempting to hold the ship in position as the storm approached. At 11:30 p.m. local time on August 25, they notified the authorities that the vessel was drifting from a position approximately two nautical miles offshore. Two hours later, they reported that the ship was dangerously close to shore.

The cargo ship came to rest approximately 70 to 100 meters (230 to 325 feet) from shore. The authorities reported the ship was stable and that the crew was uninjured. They will explore refloating the ship after the storm has passed.

The country is continuing to deal with widespread flooding and damage to structures. At least 13 people were reported injured in addition to the four confirmed deaths. The storm continued west, weakening with winds of 38 mph as it reached the border with Laos.