"Stuck" in the temporary dock construction project.

(Baonghean) - When the project to dredge the channel for fully loaded 10,000 DWT ships to enter and exit Cua Lo Port commenced, alongside the joy, port officials and workers also had concerns. They were happy because in the near future, Cua Lo International Seaport would be able to welcome large cargo ships for loading and unloading. However, they were worried about the situation of fishermen's boats anchoring in the port's channel...

Right at the groundbreaking ceremony for the aforementioned project, at the 600-meter-long wharf area, alongside large ships with a tonnage of several thousand tons loading cargo, there were dozens of wooden fishing boats with engines ranging from 150 to 450 horsepower anchored. This is an unreasonable situation, a major obstacle for the port in fulfilling its mission, and affects the overall socio-economic development of the province. Mr. Tran Van Dat - Director of Cua Lo Port said: "Although it is an international port, the operation of Cua Lo Port is not truly professional, with dozens of fishing boats regularly entering, leaving, and anchoring as is currently the case. Because of this issue, Cua Lo Port is suffering economic losses of tens of billions of dong each year. In the future, when the channel dredging project is completed, the port will be able to receive foreign cargo ships over 10,000 DWT, and with the current situation, they will certainly be concerned..."

In principle, an international seaport must ensure maritime traffic safety and address issues of security and fire safety. However, since becoming operational and being recognized as an international port, Cua Lo Port has also served as a docking point and fishing ground for fishermen in the Nghi Tan and Nghi Thuy areas. Previously, there were few fishing vessels, and they were small in capacity. In recent years, the fishing industry has developed strongly, and the number of large-capacity fishing vessels has also increased rapidly. "There are usually 40-50 fishing vessels anchored at the port. And there have been quite a few incidents related to security, fire, and maritime traffic safety involving fishermen's vessels, causing concern among ship owners and cargo owners..." Mr. Dat added.

Fishing boats belonging to local fishermen and large cargo ships are anchored together at Cua Lo port.

Speaking of maritime safety issues, Mr. Phan Huu Thinh, a port and dock staff member, recalled the collision between the cargo ship Tan Binh 5 and a fishing boat in June 2011. At that time, upon receiving a signal that the Tan Binh 5 was about to dock at pier number 4, Mr. Thinh and his colleagues informed and moved the fishing boat away from its mooring position to make way for the cargo ship. As the Tan Binh 5 approached, due to strong southeast winds, its bow struck the pier, damaging the side of the fishing boat. After the incident, they had to call in border guards to document the scene and resolve the matter, with the Tan Binh 5 having to compensate the fishing boat. Regarding security and order issues, according to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong, Deputy Director of Cua Lo Port, the most prominent incident occurred in March 2012, when the container ship Taiping, flying the Hong Kong flag, docked at the port.

At that time, the port had notified fishing vessels anchored at pier number 4 to move. While port staff were securing the cross-steering rope of the Taiping vessel to the mooring post, Mr. Trinh Ngoc Bich's fishing vessel approached the Taiping to occupy the mooring position. The fishing vessel ran over the second cross-steering rope of the Taiping vessel, forcing the Taiping's crew to loosen the rope to avoid entanglement. When the Taiping's crew re-secured the second cross-steering rope, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, a member of the Taiping vessel, used a knife to cut the rope, preventing them from securing it to the mooring post. The incident happened so unexpectedly that the captain and crew of the Taiping had to make every effort to prevent a collision that could damage the vessel. Following this incident, the Nghe An branch of Vietsun Vinh Joint Stock Company (the owner of the Taiping vessel) sent a letter expressing concern about the lack of security and order at Cua Lo Port. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong said: "That is truly a very serious incident. The Taiping ship is an asset worth hundreds of billions of dong; if anything happens to it, it will be extremely dangerous. Besides, it will damage the port's image in the eyes of foreign ships during international trade..." According to Mr. Truong, Cua Lo Port has also experienced equally serious incidents involving fishermen's fishing boats. A typical example is the fire on a fishing boat anchored at pier number 3 on August 4, 2012...

Due to the shortcomings faced by fishermen's fishing vessels, Cua Lo Port has repeatedly petitioned the authorities. On June 13, 2012, the Provincial People's Committee approved Decision No. 2110/QD.UBND-DTXD to implement the project of dredging the channel and anchorage for fishing vessels in Nghi Tan ward, with Cua Lo town as the investor. According to the Director of Cua Lo Port, Tran Van Dat, Cua Lo town is currently constructing a temporary wharf in Nghi Tan ward, but many issues remain to be addressed. These include dredging the channel for fishing vessels to enter and exit; the lack of fishing logistics services, electricity, and water at the temporary wharf; and difficult transportation access. "To move fishing vessels to the new wharf, attention must be paid to ensuring that fishermen have access to the channel, logistics services, transportation, electricity, and water... There is still much work to be done." According to Mr. Dat, the port also contributed 8 billion VND to the project (according to the construction schedule) to carry out dredging of the channel to facilitate the entry and exit of fishing vessels at the new wharf.

The Nghi Tan Ward fishing channel and mooring area dredging project has a total investment of 24,682 million VND. Its objectives are to dredge the channel and mooring area, renovate the erosion control embankment into a temporary wharf to serve navigation and mooring for fishing vessels seeking shelter from storms, reduce damage caused by natural disasters, protect the property and lives of fishermen in the area, and create conditions for sustainable development of the fishing industry. Located just a few hundred meters from Cua Lo Port, the project is designed to serve fishing vessels navigating and mooring for shelter from storms, with vessels up to 250 horsepower and larger vessels over 300 horsepower; ensuring mooring for 70% of the fishing fleet in Cua Lo Town. The project commenced in March 2013. By June 25, 2013, mooring area No. 1, the water area, and the channel were completed. Regarding fishing boat mooring area No. 2, along with a small remaining section of the waterway (located next to mooring area No. 2), construction is temporarily suspended due to land acquisition issues (a clam farming area in Nghi Quang commune, Nghi Loc district) covering an area of ​​5,500m2. Despite difficulties in funding and construction site availability, Cua Lo town has directed the construction units to accelerate the project's progress. To date, the project's completed work has reached approximately 7.8 billion VND.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Duong, Head of the Cua Lo Town Project Management Board, on June 13, 2014, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Letter No. 4024/UBND-GT regarding ensuring security, order, and maritime safety for ships entering and leaving Cua Lo Port. In this letter, the Provincial People's Committee requested that the mooring berth for fishing vessels be completed before July 30, 2014. On July 2, 2014, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Letter No. 4606/UBND-GT, requesting the Nghi Loc District People's Committee to focus on land clearance and handover to the project before July 15, 2014. However, to date, the compensation and land clearance work has not been completed by the Nghi Loc District People's Committee. Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Ba Diep, Deputy Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Nghi Loc District and Standing Vice Chairman of the District Compensation and Land Clearance Council, stated: Currently, the compensation and support dossiers for clam farming households have been completed. The District Compensation and Land Clearance Council is finalizing the dossiers to submit to the district departments for appraisal so that the District People's Committee can issue a decision approving the compensation plan and paying compensation to affected households according to regulations. However, unlike other trees and crops, clams are seasonal products (harvested during the summer or Lunar New Year), so people want additional financial support for relocation. Furthermore, according to the 2013 Land Law, each project has its own specific land price, so the application of the price to support the 5% land in Nghi Quang commune is awaiting the province's decision to apply and submit to the province for the land acquisition of public land as prescribed.

Construction site for a temporary wharf for fishing boats in Nghi Tan ward (Cua Lo town).

Understanding the concerns of the fishermen, most of them recognize that the mooring of fishing boats at the port affects security and order at Cua Lo Port. However, they are also worried about having to relocate to a new wharf; because currently, at the construction site of the dredging project for the waterway and fishing boat mooring area in Nghi Tan ward, although contractors are making efforts to ensure the set progress, many issues related to electricity, water, transportation, and fishing logistics services remain unaddressed.

Releasing fishing vessels to make Cua Lo Port a truly international seaport, contributing to the socio-economic development of the province and the region, is extremely important. However, creating favorable conditions for fishermen to develop their fishing industry is also a matter of concern. Therefore, a comprehensive investment plan needs to be considered so that when the Cua Lo Port upgrade project is completed and can accommodate fully loaded vessels over 10,000 DWT, Cua Lo fishermen's fishing boats will also flock to the new berth. But in the meantime, the Nghi Loc District People's Committee needs to expedite land clearance for the contractor to proceed with the next construction items.

Nhat Lan - Thu Huyen