Big ship meets small port
According to the latest report from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Ngai province, the number of small-capacity fishing boats, with lengths ranging from 6m to under 15m, has decreased sharply. The reason is that fishermen have converted to larger-capacity boats, over 15m long, for offshore fishing. The growth in the number of offshore fishing boats of Quang Ngai fishermen is currently far exceeding that of other provinces in the region as well as nationwide.
Currently, the province has more than 4,200 fishing boats, of which nearly 3,100 are over 15m long, with about 37,000 workers working directly at sea. However, the infrastructure of fishing ports and storm shelters in the province is still not enough to meet the actual needs of boats.
According to the Planning of the fishing port system and storm shelters to 2020, with a vision to 2030, Quang Ngai province is planning to invest in 8 fishing port and fishing wharf projects. Up to now, the province has deployed and put into use 5 projects, including: Tinh Ky fishing port (capacity of 650 ships), Sa Huynh fishing port (capacity of 500 ships), Tinh Hoa boat anchorage port (capacity of 350 ships), My A boat anchorage port (capacity of 400 ships), and Ly Son boat anchorage port (capacity of 500 ships).
However, according to many Quang Ngai fishermen, docking and anchoring in sunny weather is quite convenient, but when big storms occur, fishing ports and anchorages are often overloaded.
Mr. Pham Thanh Tan, a fisherman in Tinh Ky commune, Quang Ngai city, said: “When the storm comes, we have to quickly bring the boat to Tinh Ky port to sell the fish, then move to Tinh Hoa anchorage port to avoid the storm. However, if we enter the port late, there is often no space left, making it impossible for the boat to take shelter from the storm in the port.”
In particular, when the anchorage port is crowded during the rainy and stormy season, the risk of fire and explosion from equipment, fuel, etc. on fishing boats can cause difficulties in fire prevention and fighting.
Limited investment resources
According to the latest report of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, fishing ports and anchorages in Quang Ngai have not met the needs of the province's fleet. Investment in fishing ports and anchorages has not been completed and synchronized; the investment progress has been prolonged for many years, leading to a situation where the infrastructure is not enough to meet actual needs.
In addition, the port channel and anchorage area have been silted up over time, making it difficult for ships to enter and exit the port.
Due to the situation of fishing boats being stranded and sunk by waves when entering fishing ports in Quang Ngai, for example My A port in Duc Pho town, causing great property damage, many fishing boats had to move to other provinces such as Da Nang, Quy Nhon... to sell seafood and anchor.
According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, although there are many infrastructure programs and projects in the plan, the implementation budget is often insufficient; fishing ports, fishing wharves, and anchorage areas currently only meet about 30% of the number of boats in the province. Limited infrastructure of fishing ports forces many large-capacity boats to concentrate on fishing ports in neighboring provinces, making logistics services in the province undeveloped.
According to the Report on the current status of the province's fisheries sector signed by Mr. Ho Trong Phuong - Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the department has made efforts to call for and attract 79 organizations and individuals to invest in fisheries production and logistics services to promote the development of the sector.
