To keep 'ship 67' from rusting

(Baonghean) - It must be said right away that Decree 67 of the Government on supporting fishermen to build steel-hulled boats for offshore fishing is a correct policy when the situation in the East Sea has complicated developments. The problem is that while we do not lack well-trained maritime experts, since Decree 67 was issued, no expert has ever warned about what will happen if we switch from traditional fishing boats to iron-hulled boats?

Steel-hulled boat of Quynh Luu fishermen docks at Lach Quen fishing port. Photo: Xuan Hoang

First of all, let's take an example: Farmers change from plowing with a buffalo with a lime plow or a 51 plow... to using a plow. That is a revolution, from awareness, thinking, thinking, doing to switching from manual operations to industrial operations. Without knowledge of machinery, it is impossible to use machinery. When knowing how to use machinery, one must know how to repair, maintain, and preserve... The story of fishermen switching from owning bamboo boats, basket boats, wooden boats to iron-hulled boats is not a simple story.

First of all, a ship operating at sea is a special type of vehicle. It is both a means of transport and fishing, and also a "territory" and a permanent residence for those attached to it. Specifically, the crew and the crew on the ship. Therefore, the materials, items, and amenities must be extremely durable and convenient for the marine environment (many times more than the normal environment)... Manufacturing technology must be the most advanced at the time of shipbuilding. No one raises the issue of "lifespan" with ships. This type of vehicle, by default, must have a lifespan of hundreds of years.

Still remember in the mid-80s of the last century, the old Quang Nam - Da Nang province bought a specialized Japanese fishing ship with a capacity of more than 1,000 tons, named "Tien Sa". The history and current condition of the ship were quite new, about ten years old. When it was first brought back, it was as "sparkling" as a five-star hotel. Luckily, at that time, there were quite a lot of marine engineers trained in the Soviet Union, Poland, North Korea..., so the crew of the ship operated smoothly and professionally (only a few untrained brothers did some odd jobs on the ship quite haphazardly, so after a while the ship's interior deteriorated... but the shift system from the deck to the engine was operated very professionally like international...). Whenever the ship docked at the port, rust removal and painting of the ship were immediately implemented. The ship's deck warehouse always had tons of special paint. Tien Sa ship after several years of relatively effective operation... Above are just a few "points" about human training in both expertise and awareness of preserving the steel-hulled ship that is closely associated with the lives of each sailor and crew member on board...

Regarding the incident of our steel-hulled fishing boats being put into use in Binh Dinh, which has rusted, making fishermen both laugh and cry... it raises the question for us: What advice has the Directorate of Fisheries given to the State and what instructions has it given to the people?

Marine transport vehicles and fishing boats must always have a very strict and tight maintenance and preservation process. According to information reported by the press, our shipbuilding facilities are very "sloppy" and irresponsible. On the other hand, fishermen are very naive, thinking that once they buy a boat, it must be used for several decades without thinking about who will be the one to remove rust, who will paint it, and that preserving and painting iron-hulled boats must be a daily and hourly task of the crew on board. On average, the cost of labor to remove rust and paint the boat costs tens of millions of dong per day for steel-hulled boats. Can our fishermen afford it?

And, another issue that needs attention is that the US, Japan, and South Korea have been replacing iron-hulled fishing boats with new composite materials for half a century now. Do any of our seafood experts have any opinions on this issue?

Lawyer Tran Thuc Hoang