Nghe An fishermen 'in dilemma' with unprecedented oil price increase

On June 16 (ie 18/5 lunar calendar), at some fishing ports in Quynh Luu district, Hoang Mai town, it was found that although the weather was favorable and the moon was dark, the fishing ports were quite deserted. Only a few ship owners were refueling to prepare for a new trip, the rest were fishing boats lying on the shore in long rows.

Standing at Lach Quen Fishing Port (Quynh Luu), fisherman Dinh Trong Chuong in Tien Thuy commune said that in the past, on the 18th day of the lunar calendar, fishing boats would set sail one after another after the full moon holidays, but now, because of fear of losing money, few people have gone. Mr. Chuong said that on the last trip to sea in early June, his boat only caught more than 5 tons of fish and squid of all kinds, worth nearly 150 million VND, minus the cost of fuel, ice, etc., he lost tens of millions of VND.

According to Mr. Chuong, oil prices have more than doubled, pushingfuel costEach trip costs more than 70%, causing the income of both ship owners and crew members to decrease, causing losses, making fishermen's lives more difficult, and many workers are not interested in staying at sea.

In the entire Lach Quen Fishing Port area on June 16 (ie May 18 of the lunar calendar), only a few ships were refueled and prepared for their voyage. Photo: Xuan Hoang

While refueling an iron ship with license plate TH 93968 TS, fisherman Nguyen Cong Luu said that in 2021, he sold his family's fishing boat and in early 2022 rented an iron ship from a fisherman in Thanh Hoa province for 700 million VND/year tooffshore fishing. Unexpectedly, since the beginning of the year, diesel prices have continuously increased, from about 14,000 VND/liter (early 2021), after many increases, up to now, the price of oil has reached nearly 30,000 VND/liter... so it is very difficult.

Despite 16 years of experience in the fishing industry, Mr. Chuong's boat is mostly efficient in fishing. However, due to the high price of oil, many trips are unprofitable or have little profit. For example, the trip in the first half of June was lucky to catch a large batch of squid. After deducting all expenses, each crew member still brought home 7 million VND.

Fisherman Nguyen Cong Luu said that the fishing boat he rented has a capacity of 730 CV, fishing in the far sea with a net, using 300 light bulbs with a capacity of 1,000W/bulb, so in addition to the cost of fuel to run the main engine, he also has to spend more fuel to run the generator of 1,000 liters/night. Therefore, each trip lasts 12-15 days, has to pump 18,000 liters of fuel, equivalent to more than 500 million VND, along with ice and food, food... to serve 15 crew members, a total of about 550 million VND. Therefore, each trip must earn over 600 million VND to make a profit, which is not easy with the current fishing grounds.

Long rows of fishing boats of fishermen in Quynh Luu, Hoang Mai town, lie on the shore on June 16. Photo: Xuan Hoang

“The unprecedented increase in oil prices and soaring costs have put many ship owners in a dilemma because if they let their ships stay ashore, the crew will have no jobs and where will they get the money to pay the ship owners according to the contract, but if they leave, the risk of loss is high,” said Mr. Nguyen Cong Luu.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Dong - Head of Lach Quen Fishing Port informed: "Due to the high price of gasoline, while the price of seafood has not increased, even many types have been deeply discounted, and production efficiency is low, Lach Quen fishing port is no longer as bustling as before. Therefore, from May until now, the number of ships returning to the port has decreased significantly, and the amount of seafood unloaded has also decreased. Like the trip in early June, there were more than 100 ships returning to this fishing port, but according to the declaration, up to 50% of the ships were losing money, 30% of the ships broke even, and the remaining 20% ​​of the ships were making little profit".

In the difficult situation due to high oil prices, some fishermen in Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town) who own large ships and large engines have had to find new fishing grounds. Mr. Le Ba Ky - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Quynh Lap commune said: Since the high oil prices until now, more than 100 large-capacity fishing boats have moved to the southern sea to find more effective fishing grounds, while the remaining 60 boats only make one trip at the beginning of the month, and then stay ashore for more than half a month, for fear of losses.

“We are worried about the future, folks.fishermen fishingThey do not stay at sea because they do not make a profit, but instead have to compensate for the cost due to the increase in fuel prices. It is not possible to keep the boat on shore because they have to ensure jobs for the crew, the machinery must operate to avoid damage, but if they go, they will lose money, it is true that fishermen are facing a "dilemma", Mr. Le Ba Ky worried.

According to Mr. Tran Xuan Nhue - Head of the Department of Exploitation and Development of Aquatic Resources (Department of Fisheries), in the past 6 months, despite favorable weather, due to the high oil price, the capacity of fishing fleets has decreased, greatly affecting the exploitation situation, causing the income of ship owners and workers to decrease sharply..."./.