Van Lach silted up, fishermen in trouble

(Baonghean.vn)- Ships and boats wanting to enter and exit Lach Van port must wait for the tide, many ships and boats run aground with broken sides, damaged propellers... Many ship owners are forced to move to another port, or even quit their jobs.

The ship had a broken side and propeller because it ran aground.

A corner of Lach Van fishing port. Photo: Nhu Suong

One early morning in late April, along the sea dike around Van estuary, the sea was calm. We expected to see boats loaded with tuna and needlefish, but what we saw was a desolate scene, with sad boats lying on the shore.

I came across a man sitting with his knees drawn up next to a pile of old nets on the boat. He is Pham Ngoc Sam, owner of fishing boat NA-3712 TS (51 years old, living in Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune). Mr. Sam sighed: "This is the season for needlefish and mackerel, so each trip can earn hundreds of millions. However, boats in Lach Van have to wait for the tide to rise before going out to sea. The water has not risen yet, so the brothers on the boat have nothing to do so they sit and fix the nets to relieve boredom."

As if wanting to further explain his fellow boatman's complaint, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (65 years old, Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune) said: "Lach Van is shallow, so ships entering and exiting have many difficulties. Out of 10 ships entering and exiting the creek, 7 have broken pillars, broken propellers, and some ships that run aground are even broken."

Many fishing boats had to stay at port for many days waiting for the water to rise. Photo: Nhu Suong

Lach Van Port is not only a place for Dien Chau fishermen to anchor their boats, but also a place to take shelter from storms, exchange goods, and provide fishing logistics for many localities in the province and boats from other provinces. The number of boats is up to thousands, and the fleet of Dien Ngoc commune alone has about 500 vehicles of all kinds.

Faced with the situation of silting up the canal, making it difficult for ships to enter and exit the port, many ship owners have been forced to switch to docking at the ports of Con Lach (Hoang Mai), Quen Lach (Quynh Luu), Hoi Lach (Cua Hoi) ... causing the cost of each trip to sea for fishermen to increase.

Mr. Ngo Tri Nguyen (28 years old), owner of two fishing boats with a capacity of 650 CV, NA-96999 TS and NA-96888 TS, was upset: “Because my boat has a large capacity, I have had to move to Lach Quen to anchor for a long time and did not dare to bring the boat here because the water is too shallow. Moving to such a port increases the cost of each trip by 20 - 25 million. Meanwhile, when we anchor at the new port, we are forced to sell shrimp and fish cheaper than the general level because there is no consumer for shrimp and fish.”

Difficult for developing marine industry

Mr. Le Van Loi's large-capacity fishing boat residing in Dien Ngoc commune (Dien Chau) has had to anchor at Quen creek (Quynh Luu) for many months now. Photo: Nhu Suong

Faced with the reality of shallow waterways causing difficulties for boats, many fishermen lost their jobs when their livelihood was damaged, without capital to reproduce. Typical examples are Mr. Nguyen Van Trung (Tay Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune), Mr. Thai Nguyen (Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune),... because their boats were stranded and broke, they had to give up their jobs at sea.

In particular, many fishermen really want to invest in building big ships with big engines, especially since the government has a policy to support fishermen to build ships for long-term offshore fishing, exploiting high-value seafood. However, because the waterways do not meet the requirements, they have had to give up the idea.

The silting of Van Lach port has been going on for many years. Photo: Nhu Suong

“We sincerely hope that the State will have a plan to dredge the estuary to resolve the sedimentation situation, creating favorable conditions for fishermen to enter and exit the port, especially during the upcoming rainy and stormy season,” said Mr. Le Van Loi (Dien Ngoc commune).

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Vice Chairman of Dien Ngoc Commune People's Committee said: The sedimentation in Van Lach area has been going on for many years, causing many difficulties for fishing boats of Dien Ngoc Commune in particular and Dien Chau District in general when entering and leaving the port. Currently, the locality has also accepted the recommendations of the people and submitted them to the authorities to take dredging measures, creating conditions for people to feel secure to stick to the sea and develop the marine economy.

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