Don't let accidents on fishing boats happen because of subjectivity.

(Baonghean) - Currently, the situation of unsafe labor on fishing boats is quite common. The main cause is due to the subjectivity and lack of knowledge of fishermen and partly due to the responsibility of localities and management agencies.

Risks due to subjectivity and lack of awareness

In March 2017, Quynh Luu district received two consecutive sad news about fishing accidents. On the evening of March 17, a fishing boat captained by Mr. Tran Van Loi, residing in Cong Hoa village, Quynh Long commune (Quynh Luu), was fishing offshore when the winch cable suddenly broke. The winch cable hit and killed Mr. Tran Quang Lanh, residing in Cong Hoa village, on the spot, and injured three other crew members.

Four days later, on the morning of March 21, fishing boat NA 90615TS, captained by Mr. Ho Van Tam, residing in Minh Son hamlet, Tien Thuy commune (Quynh Luu), also had its winch broken while fishing. As a result, crew member Nguyen Van Lai, residing in Tien Thuy commune, died on the spot, and crew member Tran Dinh Cuong, residing in Quynh Long commune, was seriously injured.

Immediately after the unfortunate accidents occurred, representatives of local authorities of Quynh Luu district, Quynh Long commune, Tien Thuy commune and the Fisheries Association of the two communes came to offer condolences and encourage the relatives of the deceased as well as the injured...

Present at the funeral of Mr. Nguyen Van Lai, Mr. Nguyen Van Ke - Vice President of Tien Thuy Commune Fisheries Association shared: Working at sea always has many potential risks, in addition to unforeseen abnormalities from nature, seafarers also have to face dangers in the process of catching seafood.

Many fishermen in Dien Chau district do not wear protective gear when operating winches. Photo: Thanh Son

Notably, recent labor accidents at sea have mainly come from outdated fishing vessels combined with the subjectivity of fishermen.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ke said that although the agricultural sector, local authorities and associations have repeatedly disseminated and provided training on Decree 66/2005 of the Government on ensuring safety for people and fishing vessels operating in fisheries, fishermen are still subjective, causing accidents to occur.

Subjectivity is shown in violations of safety regulations at sea such as not wearing life jackets, life buoys, or communication devices; incorrectly registering and declaring fishing areas and coordinates to authorities before going to sea.

Furthermore, for the sake of livelihood, ships often try to separate from each other to find fishing grounds, so when an accident occurs, even if there is an announcement, there is still no time to rescue!

Need to change perception

To minimize accidents and risks for maritime workers, recently, the Department of Fisheries has increased inspection and quality assessment of ships, mobilized two ships to protect aquatic resources, and increased patrols and control of the implementation of regulations on ensuring maritime safety and security.

However, the above efforts have not been able to overcome the situation of unsafe labor when the number of fishing vessels of all types in Nghe An is quite large, with over 4,000 vessels of all types, while the inspection force is thin; awareness of compliance with regulations on the use of signal lights, sound signals, and lack of awareness of collision prevention among fishermen is still limited.

Many fishing boats do not comply with regulations, secretly and illegally exploit or carry out prohibited acts at night such as turning off signal lights to avoid inspection by authorities, so collisions and accidents still occur.

Mr. Ho The Xuan - Head of the Department of Fishing Vessels and Fisheries Logistics Services, Department of Fisheries analyzed: "Nghe An has more than 20,000 fishing workers, but very few of them are properly trained in fisheries and maritime schools. Most fishermen are operating based on experience and knowledge and skills "passed down from father to son", taught by their peers, and rarely research and update new knowledge, so many fishermen currently do not apply the correct procedures for using ship engines, and lack understanding of machinery and equipment".

Fishing boat NA 90615TS had a winch accident that killed one crew member. Photo: Thanh Cuong

And in fact, not only fishermen need to change their awareness of fishing safety, but state management agencies also need to actively promote and support fishermen.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dinh - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district admitted: "Every year, Quynh Luu district organizes 1-2 short-term captain training courses for fishermen. However, these training courses only stop at the stage of disseminating laws, professional skills of fishing boat captains, and protecting aquatic resources. As for technical training for fishermen to proactively handle incidents at sea, it has not been implemented effectively."

Mr. Ngo Tri Dong (54 years old), residing in Ngoc Van hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune (Dien Chau) - owner of the two largest fishing boats in Lach Van with a capacity of 650 CV, specializing in fishing in the common fishing area of ​​the Gulf of Tonkin, suggested: We hope that the authorities will organize many training courses on maritime safety knowledge, how to handle and respond to emergencies as well as coordinate with the authorities in case of accidents at sea so that all crew members and ship owners have more opportunities to participate.

However, it is necessary to choose the right time to organize, because in the past there were cases where the class opened while the ship owner and crew were at sea, but when they returned home there was no class!

Thanh Son - Thanh Cuong