Shortcomings from planning to progress.

(Baonghean.vn)Storms are a constant threat and a haunting fear throughout the lives of fishermen. But for their livelihood, they still have to venture out to sea day and night. In the vast, turbulent ocean, disaster is inevitable. Even when they return to shore, disaster continues to plague them. Every year, the number of boats sunk during the stormy season continues to increase, affecting the finances and lives of fishermen...

Nghe An province has six estuaries. Over the years, using various funding sources, the fisheries sector has been renovating and constructing these estuaries into safe mooring areas for fishermen to shelter from storms. Two projects have been completed and put into use: the storm shelter project at Lach Quen in Quynh Luu district, designed to accommodate 500 vessels, and the storm shelter project at Lach Van in Dien Chau district, also designed to accommodate 500 vessels. In addition, other projects have been and are being launched, such as the Lach Con project, for 200 vessels, and the Lach Thoi project in Quynh Luu district, with a capacity of 250 vessels.

With no designated mooring area, fishing boats have to dock at Cua Lo Port.

In addition, the second phase of the Lach Van storm shelter in Dien Chau district, with a capacity of 500 vessels, and the storm shelter in Cua Lo for approximately 200 vessels, funded by foreign loans, have also been launched.

However, the construction of storm shelters for boats is revealing many shortcomings. Currently, our province has over 4,000 fishing vessels, and this number will remain stable. However, according to the plan, even after completion, the storm shelters will only have enough space for 2,150 vessels to anchor, meeting only about 50% of the demand. The remaining vessels will have no place to anchor during the rainy and stormy season.

Planning has not kept pace with development, while the capital allocated to projects is extremely limited. In 2010, the Lach Corn and Lach Van projects were allocated 20 billion VND out of a total investment of 200 billion VND. In 2012, this was 25 billion VND.

Based on the current funding schedule, it will take approximately 10 years to complete the two projects. During those 10 years, the number of vessels will increase significantly. This can be seen at the Lach Quen storm shelter. Currently, the Lach Quen project is 95% complete. The plan accommodates 500 vessels moored along a length of approximately 2.5 km. The project is designed for vessels with engines of 200 horsepower or less.

However, the number of boats anchored at this wharf has far exceeded the original design capacity. According to statistics, there are currently about 700 boats from Tien Thuy, Quynh Nghia, and Quynh Long communes anchored at this estuary to take shelter from storms, exceeding the designed capacity of 200 boats. This has resulted in boats being moored too close together, forming a raft. When the wind blows, the boats collide with each other, posing a significant danger. Due to the lack of a safe place for fishermen's boats to shelter from storms, many boats are sunk each year during the storm season, affecting the lives and property of the fishermen.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, from Phong Thang hamlet, Tien Thuy commune (Quynh Luu district), the owner of a 320 HP offshore fishing vessel, said: Because the storm shelter area in Lach Quen is always crowded with boats, he and some other boat owners have to move their boats to the middle of the creek to anchor, which is very dangerous for lives and property. Last year, during typhoon No. 3, his boat's anchor was dragged, and the waves pushed it onto a sandbank in the middle of the river. After the storm, he had to hire a towboat, costing tens of millions of dong...

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Ke, Chairman of the Tien Thuy Commune Fisheries Association, the regulations stipulate that boats should be moored 5-7 meters apart horizontally and 10-15 meters apart vertically to ensure safety during storms. Mr. Ke also stated that the Lach Quen storm shelter is becoming overcrowded due to the increasing number of boats, and the increased engine power for hull construction is also contributing to the overload at the mooring areas.

In Tien Thuy, the trend of upgrading vessels to larger engines is becoming popular. Vessels equipped with 400-600 horsepower engines are now commonplace. In the past three years, approximately 100 vessels have been newly built or modified in Tien Thuy. This increase alone requires about 1 km of mooring space. To meet development demands, although the old project is not yet completed, Quynh Luu is proposing to expand the Lach Quen storm shelter area by an additional 2 km.

Projects for storm shelters that have been and are being implemented have revealed shortcomings. These include an insufficient number of planned projects (only 50% have been met), projects that have not kept pace with development, and outdated functionalities.

Clearly, to ensure mooring spaces for fishermen's boats during the stormy season, in addition to accelerating ongoing projects with sufficient funding, it is necessary to plan for enough space for nearly 50% of the remaining vessels. Furthermore, the planning needs to accommodate the increasing number of boats. It is essential to design storm shelters combined with fishing ports and fishing logistics areas.

Cong Sang