Hoang Mai Town: A series of fishing boats 67/CP "staying ashore" for many months

Fisherman Nguyen Van Phuong in Phuong Hong block, Quynh Phuong ward (Hoang Mai town) said that his iron-hulled fishing boat built according to Decree 67/CP (abbreviated as boat 67) is worth 14 billion VND. The first fishing trips lasted 10-15 days, catching tons of valuable seafood, earning 180-200 million VND.

However, from around April 2018 until now, not only Mr. Phuong's ship but many other 67 ships in the area have been fishing ineffectively, even at a loss.

For more than 3 months now, 12 fishing boats 67/CP of fishermen in Quynh Phuong ward, Hoang Mai town have been grounded due to ineffective fishing. Photo: Viet Hung.

"The fishing boat is ineffective and has to stay ashore, while I have to pay the bank a loan of nearly 100 million VND/month. I am very worried," said Mr. Phuong.

Fisherman Hoang Van Ngoan, owner of fishing boat NA 99869 TS, said that never before has the rough net fishing business been as difficult as it has been in the last months of this year. From August until now, the boat has been continuously docked, while the monthly debt to the bank is from 130 to 150 million/boat.

Thus, the 67 ship had to stay ashore for many months due to ineffective fishing. The entire 67 ship specializes in fishing with rough nets, catching mackerel and tuna in the ocean; these types of seafood are relatively difficult to catch, but if caught, the profit is high.

Quynh Phuong ward currently has about 600 fishing boats, of which 12 are built according to Decree 67 and are currently stuck on the shore due to ineffective fishing. Fishermen are "holding" hundreds of millions of dong in monthly debt that they cannot pay. Photo: Viet Hung.

Implementing the shipbuilding policy according to Decree 67 of the Government, Quynh Phuong ward has 12 fishermen building ships, including 3 iron-hulled ships and 9 wooden-hulled ships.

According to the total output report of the fleet participating in the 67/ND-CP project in Quynh Phuong ward, in 2017 the total annual output reached 363 tons of mackerel, tuna... with a value of 30.4 billion VND. However, as of September 2018, the catch only reached more than 300 tons with a value of over 15 billion VND.