Nghe An boats bustling out to sea after storm number 2

On the morning of August 3, when the sky was clear and cloudless, fisherman Trinh Duc Dung, Binh Minh block, Nghi Thuy ward (Cua Lo town) called 20 crew members to the port to clean the boat, buy fuel and necessities to prepare for the new trip.

Boats in Nghi Thuy ward, Cua Lo town are bustling to set sail after the storm. Photo: Quang An

Mr. Dung said that his ship has a capacity of 820 CV, one of the ships with the largest capacity in the commune, so the preparation work is also more difficult. The crew members divided up to work, some checked the ship's parts and machinery after 4 days of sheltering from the storm, others went to buy ice, oil, drinking water, food... Due to the storm break, the crew members' income also decreased, so this trip Mr. Dung and the crew members will go longer in the hope of catching more seafood.

On the morning of August 3, dozens of fishing boats of Nghi Thuy ward - the locality with the largest number of fishing boats in Cua Lo town, lined up to go out to sea again. According to statistics, the whole ward currently has 110 boats, of which 40 large-capacity boats will depart later due to careful preparation, the rest basically set out to sea since dawn.

Ship owners mobilize crew members to inspect and clean their boats before returning to sea. Photo: Quang An

At Lach Van port, the largest fishing port in Dien Chau district, fishermen are also busy preparing for a new trip after a break from the storm.

Mr. Nguyen Van Trung, a fisherman in Dien Ngoc commune (Dien Chau) said: "The last trip to sea only caught a little and had to return because of the storm news. It was a waste of effort and money, but the catch was not enough to sell. Therefore, this trip I just hope for calm weather and calm seas, helping fishermen to fish more conveniently so that they can stay at sea with peace of mind."

Boats at Lach Van port, Dien Ngoc commune set sail on the morning of August 3. Photo: Quang An

The entire Dien Ngoc commune has 96 large-capacity boats and about 100 small-capacity boats. Small-capacity boats usually go back and forth during the day, so from early morning on August 3, dozens of boats set sail to make it back to sea in time for this afternoon's trip. As for large boats, preparing materials, food, and mobilizing crew members takes more time, so they will set sail later and take longer.

Mr. Nguyen Van Dung - Vice Chairman of Dien Ngoc Commune People's Committee said: "This time of returning to sea coincides with the time when the whole country is struggling to fight the Covid-19 epidemic, so in addition to strictly complying with regulations on seafood exploitation, crew members as well as people buying and selling at the port must strictly comply with epidemic prevention measures such as wearing masks and disinfecting hands because Lach Van port has thousands of people gathering when the boats return to port".

Fishermen at Lach Van port are given free masks when they return to sea. Photo: Quang An

In other localities such as Quynh Luu and Hoang Mai, fishermen are also preparing to return to sea with the hope of an abundant catch of fish and shrimp.

Previously, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 5014/UBNN-NN dated August 2, 2020 on allowing boats to return to sea after Storm No. 2 from 5:00 a.m. on August 3, 2020. The Provincial People's Committee requested boat owners to regularly monitor weather forecasts to proactively prevent and promptly handle the worst possible situations, maintain contact with families, People's Committees of communes and related units.