There is a need for safe anchorage and shelter for boats during storms.

(Baonghean) - At the beginning of 2015, fishermen in the Lach Con coastal area (Hoang Mai town) still harbor the old hope of having a place to anchor and shelter their boats. Because in recent years, the need to move to Tinh Gia (Thanh Hoa province) to find a safe place to anchor and shelter their boats during storms has been a major concern...

On a 720 HP boat laden with crates of fresh anchovies, dozens of fishermen busily unloaded and transferred the catch to traders. The boat owner, Nguyen Van Tung, from Dong Luc hamlet, Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town), said: "With 24 tons of anchovies, after selling them, we earned about 240,000,000 VND. This trip yielded a small profit." According to him, fishing is hard work, requires significant investment, has high costs, and involves many unexpected risks, so this trip to the fishing grounds is considered a success. However, Tung, like many fishermen, still has many worries, especially the difficulty in finding safe mooring places for boats to shelter from storms.

Fishing boats of fishermen from Quynh Lap commune (Quynh Luu district) at the Lach Con estuary.

To date, in the Lạch Cờn area – home to thousands of fishing boats of all sizes from the two communes of Quỳnh Lập and Quỳnh Phương – there is no designated anchorage for storm shelter. Whenever a storm approaches, if the boat is in the fishing grounds, it seeks shelter near that area. If it has returned to its home waters, it must be moved to the storm shelter in Hải Thanh commune, Tĩnh Gia district, Thanh Hóa province. Last year, when the storm arrived, it coincided with the time when most boats docked at Lạch Cờn to unload their catch; everyone rushed to transfer fish to traders, and after unloading, they had to head back to Hải Thanh commune to avoid the storm. "Each time, I lose over 200 liters of fuel for transportation, plus money for food and accommodation for the crew guarding the boat and other miscellaneous expenses, totaling about 10 million VND. There are over 200 boats in Quynh Lap and about 500 boats in Quynh Phuong commune. Calculated over each time a storm comes, fishermen in Quynh Lap alone lose around 2 billion VND. And it's not just once a year that we have to avoid storms...", Mr. Nguyen Van Tung calculated.

The financial loss incurred while searching for shelter from storms is a problem, but the risks involved in the process are even more concerning. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Nho, Chairman of the Farmers' Association and Vice Chairman of the Fisheries Association of Quynh Lap commune, from 2013 to 2014, fishermen in the town experienced three serious accidents while seeking shelter from storms. One accident involved Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ha's 560 HP fishing boat from Dong Tien hamlet in September 2013. During a storm, he took his boat to Hai Thanh commune (Tinh Gia district, Thanh Hoa province). On the way to the mooring point, Mr. Ha's boat struck the power transmission lines, causing the wires to fall onto the boat, resulting in a battery explosion and engine fire. Although fortunately there were no casualties, the power lines were subsequently damaged, and Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ha was held fully responsible for repairing the damage.

At that time, the People's Committee of Hoang Mai Town, along with officials from Quynh Lap commune, went to Tinh Gia to request assistance from the local government and the Electricity sector, so the problem was resolved, but Mr. Ha had to spend over 60 million VND. Also in 2014, Mr. Le Duc Que's fishing boat, also from Dong Tien hamlet, struck a reef while sheltering from a storm at Bach Long Vy island. The boat, newly built in 2014, had only made two trips to the fishing grounds when the accident occurred, suffering severe damage. After the storm subsided, Mr. Que had to hire a tugboat to repair it, costing hundreds of millions of VND. Also in that year, Mr. Doan Binh's boat, built only 3 months earlier, struck a reef while returning from sheltering from a storm in Hai Thanh (Tinh Gia - Thanh Hoa). Due to the extremely large waves, the entire boat was destroyed; only the engine system could be salvaged. Mr. Doan Binh's losses amounted to 1.7 billion VND.

In Quynh Lap and Quynh Phuong communes, the people mainly live off fishing. Along with capital from banks, fishermen pool their resources to buy and build new fishing boats, replacing their smaller vessels to venture further out to sea. Previously, Quynh Lap fishermen had only about 50 boats with engines ranging from 20 to 90 horsepower. Now, the fleet has grown to 213 boats, including 28 boats with engines from 165 to 300 horsepower; 61 boats with engines from 300 to 400 horsepower; and 57 boats with engines of 400 horsepower or more. In the town, there are large boats with engines exceeding 1,000 horsepower, worth billions of dong, ensuring long-term fishing operations at sea. With such a fleet, the fishermen's fishing grounds extend from the central coastal region to the Hoang Sa archipelago, Bach Long Vy island, and even the shared fishing grounds with Chinese fishermen.

Because of the significant investment in fishing vessels, fishermen are increasingly aware of potential risks. To date, the Quynh Lap Fisheries Association has established 20 cooperative groups for fisheries exploitation; 100% of vessels are equipped with ECOM long-distance communication devices, enabling proactive communication about fish schools and timely response when information about distressed vessels is received. If there is an emergency, nearby fishing vessels have a responsibility to cooperate and provide timely assistance... "Even so, every time a storm comes, fishermen suffer greatly. Recently, during the summary of the work of the Farmers' Association of the town, we proposed that the town government report to higher authorities to expedite the construction of a storm shelter for fishermen's boats..." - said Mr. Nguyen Van Nho, Vice Chairman of the Quynh Lap Fisheries Association.

According to our findings, on September 21, 2010, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 4269/QD.UBND-NN, approving the investment project for the construction of the Lach Corn storm shelter and anchorage area along the Hoang Mai River and the construction of protective embankments in Quynh Di and Quynh Phuong. The total cost of implementation was over 95 billion VND. On March 26, 2012, considering the proposal of the investor, the People's Committee of Quynh Luu District, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 879/QD.UBND-NN approving the adjustment (phase 1) of the investment project for the construction of the Lach Corn storm shelter and anchorage area. In addition to the proposed solutions, the decision also added the construction of a system of buoys, marker posts, and navigation channel signs with a total cost of over 118 billion VND.

The investment capital comes from the State budget under the Program for the Construction of Storm Shelters as stipulated in Decision No. 288/2005/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister; the project is expected to be implemented within 24 months from the date of commencement. The storm shelter at Lach Corn is expected to accommodate approximately 600 vessels seeking shelter from storms, minimizing damage caused by natural disasters. However, according to Mr. Tran Minh Chieu, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Lap commune, the investment project for the Lach Corn storm shelter has not yet started, while the Party Committee, the government, and especially the fishermen of Quynh Lap are still eagerly awaiting a place to shelter their boats whenever storms arrive.

Mr. Chieu expressed his concern: "Each year there are usually about 5-6 storms, and each time fishermen lose about 2-3 billion VND, not including the damage to other communes. We and the fishermen have petitioned the higher authorities many times. Recently, during the commune's 2014 defense and security review, the fishermen again suggested that the commune petition the higher authorities. We also requested the Town Party Committee and the Town People's Committee to take more decisive action to help minimize the safety risks and losses for fishermen whenever storms occur."

Understanding the aspirations of officials and fishermen in the Lach Corn coastal area, Mr. Le Sy Chien, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoang Mai Town, shared: "In meetings, we often discuss the construction of the Lach Corn storm shelter, however, given the general difficulties, securing funding for construction is not simple. In the coming time, we will continue to request higher authorities to consider solutions to overcome the difficulties for fishermen...". In reality, the State has invested heavily in building fishing infrastructure, ensuring that fishermen can confidently go out to sea to catch seafood and participate in protecting maritime sovereignty. However, given the general economic difficulties, investing in all projects simultaneously in many localities is truly challenging. Working together to overcome difficulties is essential at this time. Nevertheless, we still hope that the project to invest in the construction of the Lach Corn storm shelter will be implemented soon...

Text and photos:Nhat Lan