Unique use of bamboo fiber and oyster lime to seal giant ships

(Baonghean.vn) - To prevent water from seeping into boats, people have invented a way to use "bamboo fiber" and oyster lime to fill the gaps of the boat with a durability of nearly ten years.

Coming to the shipbuilding facility of Mr. Nguyen Tien Xang in Quynh Tho commune, we were led by him to visit his family's shipbuilding area. With dozens of skilled workers, over the years, his facility has built dozens of large modern ships. To complete a ship requires high technical skills and meticulousness, especially when the ship is operating at sea to prevent water from seeping into the ship.

Therefore, his shipbuilding facility now uses the experience passed down from his predecessors, which is to use bamboo fiber combined with oyster lime and lime oil to fill in the gaps of the boat.

Workers at Mr. Le Tien Xang's shipbuilding facility in Quynh Tho commune (Quynh Luu) fill the gaps in boats with bamboo fiber. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Xang said that bamboo fiber is purchased from Thanh Hoa and Nam Dinh; on average, a large ship needs about 150 kg, priced at 40,000 VND/kg.

“Bamboo fiber is the best material to fill the gaps of the ship. People use a bamboo fiber scraper to create small, long fibers; when combined with lime and chemicals, it will create a smoother, more adhesive texture than wood chips. Using bamboo fiber has a high durability of nearly ten years,” Mr. Xang shared.

In addition to bamboo fiber, people also combine it with oyster lime powder (oysters from rivers and seas are taken and ground into powder) and cajuput oil.

When the ship is completed, the workers will use oyster lime mixed with Trau oil (Trau seeds pressed to extract oil), then fill a layer inside the gap and then tightly pack bamboo fibers in the middle; the next step is to fill another layer of oyster lime mixed with Trau oil on the outside of the boat. After about 3 days, the filling will be dry and hard enough to operate underwater.

Raw materials: bamboo fiber, oyster lime. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Ho Van Hung - a boat caulking worker said that in the process of mixing oyster lime with caulking oil, if the caulking is not done quickly, the material will dry and become ineffective; therefore, it requires quick and precise operations.

With this method, many large fishing boats can rest assured that seawater will not seep in and cause rust on the machinery or damage the boat. Currently, many shipbuilding facilities in Quynh Luu district use this method to weld and seal the boat.

Mr. Ho Van Ngo, owner of the Quynh Nghia shipbuilding facility, said that each year the facility builds 7-10 ships. To fill a large ship, it costs about 30 million VND in raw materials, including 150 kg of bamboo fiber; 400 kg of oyster lime; and 200 kg of oil. These fillings last for nearly ten years, and will then be re-filled. This method has been passed down from previous generations for more than ten years.

Quynh Luu district has about 1,275 boats, including 695 offshore fishing boats, all of which have their gaps sealed with bamboo fiber. For small-capacity boats, fishermen can use plastic to make boats, so there is no need to seal with bamboo fiber./.

Viet Hung