Japanese experts impressed with Nghe An's marine economic potential

(Baonghean) - Nghe An Newspaper interviewed Mr. Akira Kuroki - Member of the Board of Directors of the International Small Vessel Recycle Project (Japan) about the project to support fishing vessels for fishermen and the prospect of cooperation with Nghe An in the future.

PV:How do you evaluate the potential advantages of Nghe An's marine economic development?

Mr. Akira Kuroki:Through research, we learned that Nghe An is the largest province in Vietnam in terms of both area and population. With the strength of 82km and 6 seaports, including Cua Lo port, an international seaport that can receive large tonnage ships.

The sea area in Nghe An is located at the center of international and inter-regional exchange routes, on the North-South and East-West axis of the Central region, on the corridor of the international maritime route, and is one of the gateways to the North Central region, Central Laos and Northeastern Thailand. It must be affirmed that the potential and resources of the sea and coastal areas are quite diverse and rich.

Introducing the Hamakaze ship. Photo: Thanh Le

Besides, Nghe An fishermen have a long tradition of going to sea. Looking at the map, if we consider the 82km coastline as the “front”, then with 2,067km of border with Laos, Nghe An has a very good “backward” position…

The sea is a strength of Nghe An in particular and Vietnam in general, so paying attention to the marine economy is a long-term strategy and must be considered of vital importance to the economy.

PV:What idea did the International Small Vessel Recycle Project (Japan) come up with to support ships for Nghe An province?

Mr. Akira Kuroki:The person who proposed the establishment of the International Small Vessel Recycle Project (abbreviated as ISVRP) - Japan - was a young Vietnamese man who was then a second-year university student at the Japan University of Economics - Mr. Tran Thuc Hieu, originally from Vinh City, currently a member of the Board of Directors of the ISVRP Organization.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Hieu is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kobe Viet Co., Ltd. He is also a member of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association of Nghe An province as Vice Chairman of the Association.

Nghe An, with its geographical location as a province in the North Central region of Vietnam, is only about 300km from the capital Hanoi, with all the factors of favorable weather, favorable terrain and favorable people, so paying attention to Nghe An is inevitable.

Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a very good saying: “Nothing can stop the Red River from flowing to Tokyo Bay”. Nghe An’s Lam River, also known as Ca River, must also be understood according to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s saying.

In Japan, we have a habit of not wasting, of using all assets carefully and thoroughly. Due to the aging population, there is no longer enough manpower and capacity to operate fishing boats and ships, so we want our Vietnamese friends to reactivate these assets.

Thanks to that, you can operate more widely at sea, protect territorial waters, and increase benefits for Vietnam. In addition, maintaining Japan's vital traffic routes is an important issue for Japan's medium and long-term future.

We affirm that our activities are not bringing “industrial waste” to Vietnam.

PV:Why are FRP-Composite hull ships widely used in Japan?

Mr. Akira Kurok:FRP Composite hull ships are widely used in Japan because of their advantages: they are more durable than wooden ships because composite materials are not corroded by the marine environment. On the other hand, composite ships are also waterproof and do not rot. The life of the ship is high (over 100 years).

Regarding the cost of hull maintenance, wooden hull ships must undergo annual maintenance, but composite ships do not require hull maintenance for the first 20 years, saving the ship owner a significant amount of money.

Because the hull is made of composite plastic, it has a smooth surface, significantly reducing friction with water and wind, so the speed of the ship is quite fast, saving fuel. According to calculations by those who directly use composite ships, ships can save 10% fuel compared to wooden ships.

In terms of safety, composite boats have outstanding advantages over wooden boats. Designed by molding, the watertight compartments make the boat safe in case of a hole in the compartment. In case the boat capsizes, thanks to the watertight advantage, it can float, and fishermen can cling to the hull, increasing the chance of survival.

In terms of overall economic efficiency, composite ships are more economically efficient than wooden ships because they save fuel costs, hull maintenance costs and have longer operating times.

Especially in the current condition, wood resources are not much left, building wooden ships is a waste of wood, destroying the environment (because 1 tree can only be used 30% to build wooden ships, the rest is not suitable).

PV:Through this survey trip, how does the International Small Vessel Recycle Project (Japan) plan to support Nghe An in various fields?

Mr. Akira Kuroki:After successfully implementing the donation of 30 used composite hulled ships, we will deploy a workshop to overhaul and maintain these ships in Nghe An province to both meet the needs of Nghe An fishermen at a reasonable price and supply the market of Southeast Asian countries.

In addition, we plan to produce in Nghe An mobile piers for fishing boats that are much cheaper than piers made of reinforced concrete.

A very important issue related to Vietnam-Japan trade is to promote the opening of direct flights from Vinh International Airport to Japanese airports. We have been, are, and continue to promote and call on Japanese airlines, hoping to be successful.

ISVRP donates Hamakaze ship to Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Le

As mentioned above, Nghe An is the largest province in Vietnam in terms of both area and population. Nghe An's development potential is enormous, especially its human potential. Nghe An is the homeland of patriot Phan Boi Chau and President Ho Chi Minh.

Nghe An in particular and Vietnam in general are in the golden population period (average age is 28 years old), while Japan has an aging population (average age is 46 years old), so we are in great need of labor resources in all industries.

We hope that Nghe An Provincial People's Committee will create favorable conditions to support Kobe Viet Company, led by Mr. Tran Thuc Hieu, a member of the Board of Directors of our organization.

If Kobe Vietnam is licensed to send workers and experts to Japan, ISVRP will connect with Japanese unions to coordinate human resources in accordance with the laws of Vietnam and Japan; at the same time, ensure the legitimate rights of workers.

We consider sending Nghe An labor force to Japan as the most basic and long-term investment policy. In addition to their salary contributing to their family and country in foreign currency, they also learn techniques in industries that Japan is considered advanced by the world...

PV:Thank you very much!

Thanh Le

(Perform)