Fishermen reduce costs by desalinating seawater.
(Baonghean.vn) - To address the difficulty of limited water reserves on fishing boats, some fishermen in Hoang Mai town have invested in installing seawater desalination machines to produce pure freshwater on their fishing vessels, initially showing positive results.
Fisherman Phan Van Tuy, owner of a fishing boat in Lam Son hamlet, Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town), said: Three months ago, a company in Hanoi supplied him with a seawater desalination machine that produces pure freshwater. He was introduced to the machine and allowed to test it on his boat.
 |
| Fishermen inspect the water filtration system of the seawater desalination machine installed on Phan Van Tuy's boat. Photo: Xuan Hoang. |
The water purification machine has a capacity of 120 liters per hour. After a period of use, it has been shown that the machine automatically draws seawater up and filters it through the installed filters, producing pure freshwater suitable for drinking, bathing, and washing, just like freshwater brought from the mainland.
The air purifier filters more than 2 cubic meters of water every day and night.3Freshwater is available, enough for all 10 fishermen on board for drinking, bathing, and washing. Therefore, the plastic containers previously used to store freshwater can now be used to store fuel, allowing them to stay at sea for longer periods.
 |
| To filter seawater into pure freshwater, the seawater must pass through these two filters. Photo: Xuan Hoang |
"Since we got the water purification system, we only bring a small amount of fresh water on each fishing trip to have something to drink in case the system malfunctions. Thanks to reducing the weight of the fresh water we carry (about 3 tons), my fishing boat runs faster when out at sea, reducing fuel costs," Tuy confided.
Mr. Phan Van Hai, Chairman of the Quynh Lap Fisheries Association, owns two fishing vessels, each with a capacity of over 800 horsepower, specializing in offshore fishing. Mr. Hai stated that 10 days ago, he received a seawater desalination machine from the supplying company, which he installed on one of his vessels for testing.
According to Mr. Hai, Quynh Lap commune currently has 200 fishing vessels at sea, of which 146 have a capacity of 90 horsepower or more. Each year, Quynh Lap harvests over 32,000 tons of seafood, generating an income of approximately 320 billion VND.
Recently, three ships in the commune have been equipped with experimental seawater desalination machines to produce pure freshwater, and initial results show that the machines are working effectively.
 |
| Since installing a seawater desalination machine, Phan Van Tuy's boat only needs two freshwater tanks for long sea voyages. Photo: Xuan Hoang |
It has been learned that very few fishermen in Nghe An province have installed this type of water filter, with only a few boats in Quynh Lap commune having it. However, the trial period has not been long, so the product's durability cannot yet be confirmed. Therefore, fishermen need to research carefully before investing, as the cost of this machine is relatively high (approximately 120 million VND).
