Nghe An: Many boats sank and broke when entering and exiting the estuary

(Baonghean.vn) – Ships getting stuck while entering the estuaries has long been a nightmare for ship owners.

Boats wait for the tide to rise before going out to sea at Thoi estuary, Son Hai commune, Quynh Luu

Nghe An has 6 estuaries, but only Cua Lo and Cua Hoi estuaries have been invested in building embankments and dredging, the remaining 4 estuaries including Thoi estuary, Con estuary, Quen estuary and Van estuary are very difficult for ships to enter and exit. Many ships have been damaged, even broken when trying to enter the estuary.

In 2014, after a sea trip, when entering Lach Thoi (Son Hai commune, Quynh Luu), the 20m long large fishing boat of Mr. Thai Van Nam, hamlet 3, Son Hai commune, specializing in fishing in the waters near Truong Sa and Hoang Sa, broke down when it ran aground, got stuck and was broken by waves. That same year, the boat of Mr. Ho Bac, hamlet 9, also suffered a similar fate.

Son Hai commune has 262 boats with capacity from 90 to over 800 CV specializing in offshore fishing. Mr. Ngo Xuan Binh, hamlet 1 has a boat with capacity of 420 CV. Previously, the boat could only enter and exit when the tide level rose 2 - 2.2 m, but now due to the sand deposited at the bottom, his boat can only enter and exit when the water level rises 2.4 m.

In recent years, in Son Hai, almost every year, there are boats that are damaged, even broken, or sunk when going out and entering the canal, most of which are ships worth 2-3 billion VND. Large ships have to go to Lach Quen estuary (Quynh Thuan), while small ships go to Lach Thoi but also have to wait for the tide to rise before going, not being proactive like before. According to the leader of Son Hai commune, the current tide level is only 40-50 centimeters, down 3 meters compared to 6-7 years ago.

Fishing boats crowded anchored at Lach Van estuary waiting for high tide

Dien Chau district has 160 large capacity ships from 90CV and above, but there is only Lach Van estuary for ships from the coastal communes of Dien Bich, Dien Ngoc, and Dien Kim to anchor. The estuary sedimentation has been going on for decades, especially since Dien Thanh sluice was built to retain water, prevent salinity and retain fresh water. When there is heavy rain and flooding, there is no strong water flow to the estuary to wash sand out to sea, causing sedimentation. Especially in recent years, there has been no heavy rain in the area, the water source from upstream is almost non-existent, making it impossible for sand to flow, causing more sedimentation. Currently, the locality is powerless in terms of both funding and technical solutions to clear the estuary.

Thoi estuary is increasingly heavily silted.

The province currently has nearly 4,000 fishing boats, including 1,325 boats with a capacity of over 90CV. This fleet, in addition to bringing economic efficiency, also plays a very important role in contributing to protecting the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the fatherland. According to fishermen, the access channel is one of the decisive factors for the success of each sea trip.

However, currently, only two estuaries, Cua Lo and Cua Hoi, can meet the requirements for active entry and exit for ships, while the remaining four estuaries depend on the tide. Fishermen are hoping that the government will have a solution to invest in expanding and dredging the estuaries to make it easier for ships to enter and exit.

Phu Huong

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