Fishermen build large ships to venture further out to sea.

(Baonghean) - Despite the complex developments in the East Sea, with Chinese ships sinking several Vietnamese fishing boats and continuously threatening other fishing vessels, fishermen in Nghe An remain undeterred. Their boats continue to sail out to sea, and fishermen are even borrowing money urgently to build larger, more powerful vessels to venture further offshore.

The 250 HP fishing boat of fisherman Nguyen Van Hai from Dien Bich - Dien Chau is preparing to be launched.

We visited the Dong Men shipyard in Dien Bich commune, Dien Chau district. The sun was blazing, but the shipbuilders were still working diligently to complete the ships and launch them soon. Mr. Nguyen Duc Dong, the owner of the shipyard, his shirt drenched in sweat, recounted: "Because the ship owners are so impatient, I have to push the workers every day to ensure the ships are launched on time. Despite the tense situation in the East Sea, since the beginning of 2013, the shipyard has built three large ships of 250 horsepower or more, and will soon launch two more large-capacity vessels."

Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, soon to be the owner of a new 250 HP vessel, is inspecting the hull of the ship which is currently under construction. He shared: "Previously, we used small boats with 48 HP engines, going out for a maximum of 2-3 days, with only a few people, outdated fishing gear, and no safety equipment, so we had to stay close to shore, which was inefficient. Seeing the advantages of a 'big ship with a powerful engine,' not only for venturing out to sea and quickly making a living, but also contributing to protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland, we borrowed money and decided to build a new ship costing nearly 1 billion VND."

Following the Lạch Vạn waterway, the wind blew strongly from the sea, boats crowded the waterway, and the red flag with a yellow star fluttered proudly on the boat's roof. After docking at Lạch Vạn port, the fishing boat numbered NA 90335 TS 250 CV, owned by Mr. Tran Van Son, opened its hold to unload fish and squid to sell to traders. According to Mr. Son, this year's southern fishing season was quite bountiful, with favorable weather. The trip, with more than 10 laborers at sea for 15 days, brought back a catch worth nearly 200 million VND, with each crew member earning 5-8 million VND after deducting expenses. Mr. Son added: This time, they were chased by Chinese fishing boats, but thanks to the combined efforts of our large fleet of boats with powerful engines (250-350 CV), the Chinese fishing boats were forced to retreat.

Mr. Pham Van Hung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Bich commune, said: The entire commune has 190 boats, including 62 boats with a capacity of 90 HP - 350 HP, of which 6 boats are permitted to fish in the common fishing grounds. The large-capacity fishing boats of Dien Bich fishermen are basically equipped with modern equipment such as GPS and walkie-talkies… Thanks to GPS, fishermen can safely operate their boats, such as avoiding underwater rocks and knowing the distance from the departure point to the fishing port… Walkie-talkies are even more important; when Chinese fishing boats show signs of aggression or chase, the walkie-talkies allow the boats to quickly connect with each other and with the fisheries patrol boat to take timely countermeasures.

Late in the afternoon, we returned to Quynh Long commune and saw fishing boats with full holds heading towards the estuary. Nguyen Minh, the owner of a fishing boat, confided: "Previously, I used a 90 HP boat, but compared to the requirements of offshore fishing, this boat couldn't last more than 20 days and couldn't withstand level 5 waves. Every time the weather forecast announced a tropical depression, I had to pull in the nets to find shelter. Not to mention, small boats are always harassed by Chinese ships when they reach the fishing grounds. That's why I decided to sell my small boat and invest in a boat with over 600 HP, which can stay at sea for over a month and withstand level 7-8 waves. The boat has 12-14 workers, and on average, each person earned 94 million VND in the first five months of the year." Not only Minh's boat but many other boats also had a successful fishing trip, such as Tran Thanh's boat with a 380 HP engine, which caught over 20 tons per trip. Many fishermen with large boats in Quynh Long excitedly shared that: Going out to sea with a group of large boats makes fishing much safer. When encountering Chinese fishing boats, they see that our boats are big and come in groups, so they are less aggressive. If they are chased, having a large boat makes it easier to maneuver.

Quynh Long has 177 boats and ships, of which 106 are between 90 and 760 horsepower. Recently, many fishing boats from Quynh Long have been chased away and had their fishing gear confiscated by Chinese vessels, causing considerable difficulties for the fishermen. However, during this southern fishing season, many local fishing boats have caught large quantities of seafood, earning hundreds of millions of dong in profit. This success is thanks to the fishermen's courage and dedication to the sea. The bountiful catches have instilled great enthusiasm in the fishermen as they venture out to the East Sea. Most of these large fishing vessels spend 10-11 months at sea each year, primarily selling their catch and resupplying for the next trip.

Mr. Nguyen Chi Luong, from the Fisheries Resource Protection Sub-Department, added: Nghe An province has 4,070 fishing vessels, of which 1,201 have a capacity of 90 horsepower or more (mainly focused on offshore fishing). Currently, many fishermen need to build new vessels to venture further out to sea, but they cannot afford it on their own. The government needs to have timely support policies to help fishermen build larger vessels to go further out to sea and upgrade their fishing technology.

It can be said that the power of offshore fishing vessels is increasing, and today, the number of fishing vessels with a capacity of 250 horsepower or more is becoming more common. However, these fishing vessels, equipped with large engines and operating in waters hundreds of nautical miles from the shore, are mainly built using traditional methods with little consideration for structural design and stability. While the logistics supporting the fishing industry have improved significantly, they have not kept pace with the development of fishing vessels. Specifically, the fishing ports are cramped, and the Quèn and Thơi estuaries are silted up, hindering the movement of vessels. This is also a reason why many fishermen are hesitant to build large-capacity vessels for fear of running aground.

Van Truong