Nghe An: Boats lack places to avoid and shelter from storms

Lack of safe shelter

Quynh Lap Commune (Hoang Mai Town) is the locality with the largest number of large-capacity fishing boats in the province, with 210 fishing boats of all kinds, of which 140 have a capacity of over 250 CV. The most worrying issue for Quynh Lap fishermen is when they have to avoid or take shelter from storms, because the storm-avoiding and sheltering areas for boats in the commune are not guaranteed.

The boat anchorage area on Mai Giang River (Hoang Mai Town) has not been invested in, so safety is not high for boats coming to avoid and take shelter from storms. Photo: XH

Mr. Phan Van Hai - Chairman of the Quynh Lap Commune Fisheries Association, who is also the owner of 4 large-capacity fishing boats, is concerned: Because there is no safe storm shelter in the area, fishermen have to find places to anchor their boats in many places, from Quynh Luu district, even to Thanh Hoa when there is a storm. Because the Mai Giang River flowing into Lach Con estuary is blocked by Den Con bridge, large boats cannot pass.

Fisherman Phan Van Hai is concerned: Previously, Lach Con estuary had a sandbank that rose up, which had the effect of blocking big waves from entering the boat mooring area on the Mai Giang River. But recently, some units have brought in ships to dredge sand, causing part of the sandbank to disappear. Currently, sand dredge ships are still operating strongly, and we are worried that in just a few days the entire sandbank will disappear, and the risk of waves crashing into the boat mooring area is very high. Not only are boats affected, but residential areas living on both sides of the river in Quynh Phuong ward and Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town) will also be affected by waves during big storms.

“Authorities and local governments at all levels need to stop sand dredging at this sandbank to block waves for ships.”

Mr. Phan Van Hai proposed

Mr. Phan Van Hai in Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town) said that the sand in front of Lach Con estuary is being almost completely sucked up by ships, and the waves have hit the storm shelter on the river hard. Photo: XH

The salt dike area on the border between Quynh Phuong ward and Quynh Lap commune has been invested by the State to build an anchorage area for boats to avoid and shelter from storms with technically guaranteed anchoring pillars. However, due to the steep and narrow river bottom, boats are easily capsized when the water recedes, causing fishermen to not dare to move large-capacity boats to anchor.

Fishermen in Quynh Luu district also face difficulties in finding places to anchor their boats to avoid and take shelter from the storm. Fisherman Ho Thanh in Tien Thuy commune (Quynh Luu) is worried, usually before a storm comes, he and many other fishermen have to quickly move their boats to Lach Quen area, below Quynh Nghia bridge to anchor.

However, when there are many boats, while the anchors are made by fishermen themselves, it is really unsafe because it is difficult to ensure safety.

Mr. Chu Van Tan - Head of Lach Quen Fishing Port also raised concerns: The Lach Quen storm shelter area has not received any investment in infrastructure by the State, so there are problems when ships enter to avoid and take shelter from storms. The ships that frequently enter and exit the port are large ships with large engines. If there is a big storm or big waves, collisions are likely to occur when anchoring, because the rope anchors are completely self-made by the people and do not meet technical standards.

Ships anchored at Lach Quen fishing port. Photo: Nguyen Hai

In Dien Chau district, there are 1,447 boats, of which 280 have a capacity of over 90 CV. Mr. Le The Hieu - Head of the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: To ensure the safety of boats during the rainy and stormy season, the district recommends that boats operating at sea need to regularly update weather conditions via radio, the communication system of the Border Guard, and specialized agencies. Guidance and training on anchoring to avoid storms and the use of maritime equipment and communication information help fishermen use the equipment effectively.

However, the problem is that Lach Van estuary is seriously silted, making it difficult for boats to enter and exit, especially when the water recedes, it is very difficult for large ships to pass. Therefore, before a big storm hits, large ships cannot enter Lach Van and must move to Lach Lo and Lach Thoi to anchor. Another difficulty is that the storm shelters are located along the Bung River, far from residential areas, so when fishermen subjectively anchor at the fishing port, safety is not guaranteed.

The waterway has not been invested in.

Mr. Chu Quoc Nam - Deputy Head of the Department of Fisheries said: Nghe An currently has 5 storm shelters for boats: Lach Con, Lach Quen, Lach Thoi, Lach Van, Lach Lo, in addition to a regional anchorage area in Cua Hoi. Compared to more than 3,500 boats of the whole province, the 5 storm shelters only accommodate about 65 - 70% of boats, but during fishing activities, many boats can shelter in other provinces, so they basically accommodate boats sheltering from storms of the whole province.

The problem is that the anchorage areas are natural channels that have not been invested in much. Currently, only the anchorage areas in Cua Hoi and Cua Lo are quite safe for ships to anchor. The remaining channels are silted up and the water is shallow, affecting the ability of ships to enter and exit to avoid and take shelter from storms.

Ships anchored near Quynh Nghia bridge to avoid storm. Photo: Nguyen Hai

To ensure safety for boats during storms, local authorities and shore stations regularly update information on the direction of storms and tropical depressions, promptly disseminate information to fishermen on radio frequencies so that they can grasp and move their boats to avoid and take shelter early. When boats reach the storm avoidance and shelter area, people need to tie anchor ropes securely, ensuring that boats do not collide with each other, leading to property damage.

Boats are a great asset of fishermen, and also a means of livelihood for fishermen in coastal areas. In the increasingly complex weather conditions, the dangers of natural disasters are increasingly unpredictable, especially storms and tropical depressions, investing in building anchorage areas for boats to avoid and shelter from storms is a necessary solution to minimize property damage for fishermen.