Close-up of a series of sunken ships in Ha Long Bay 2 weeks after Typhoon Yagi that have not been salvaged

Cận cảnh loạt tàu đắm ở vịnh Hạ Long 2 tuần sau bão Yagi vẫn chưa được trục vớt - Ảnh 1. — Ship owners set up camps to guard their vessels and await salvage operations, as recorded on September 21st - Photo: NGOC AN

According to Tuoi Tre Online , Tuan Chau International Port - the starting point for tourists visiting Ha Long Bay - is still reeling from the shock two weeks after Typhoon Yagi swept through.

Dozens of ships, worth approximately 3 billion VND, were sunk by the storm, leaving only their frames and bows protruding above the water right before our eyes. However, the ship owners were helpless, unable to salvage their vessels for repairs and minimize losses.

Helplessly watching a shipwreck that cannot be salvaged.

Pointing to the three sunken boats belonging to her family, Ms. M. shared with Tuoi Tre Online that the three tourist boats belonged to her family and her younger brother, and all sank after the storm. Each boat was worth 3 billion VND, not including the equipment and supplies on board, which were worth nearly 10 billion VND, and are sinking day by day along with the sinking ships.

Although we contacted companies offering salvage services, several refused after assessing the extent of the sinking.

With a burning heart, Ms. M. tearfully shared her helplessness, unable to find a salvage unit, feeling lost and unsure when the ship would be brought ashore for repairs, while her entire fortune was slowly sinking with the wreck.

"If things continue like this, I don't know if the damage will be fixable once the ship is salvaged. The ship is uninsured, all investment costs were borrowed from the bank, and now there are additional costs of salvaging the ship (hundreds of millions of dong) and repairs (billions of dong) – I don't know where I'll find the money to recover."

"Looking at those shipwrecks, we don't even want to live anymore because we don't know what the future holds with the burden of the bank, and we don't know how to start over," Ms. M shared.

Cận cảnh loạt tàu đắm ở vịnh Hạ Long 2 tuần sau bão Yagi vẫn chưa được trục vớt - Ảnh 3. — A series of tourist boats sank and suffered serious damage.

Nearby, a shack had been erected by boat owners to guard the sunken vessels. When asked why the sunken boats hadn't been salvaged for the past two weeks, one boat owner angrily explained that they had tried to hire salvage companies, but the costs kept rising and no company had come forward.

Despite rising salvage costs, no company has taken on the job.

He cited the example that the cost of salvaging a ship used to be 40 million VND per day, but now it has increased to 60 million VND, or even double, and still no company is willing to take on the job. Not to mention the transportation and repair costs, which range from hundreds of millions to billions of VND, leaving ship owners struggling and feeling helpless because they don't know how to manage the situation.

According to local statistics, 23 tourist boats anchored at Tuan Chau International Tourist Port to take shelter from the storm sank, and most of these boats have not yet been salvaged.

The cost of repairing the ships depends on the extent of the damage to each vessel, but for tourist boats, the repair cost ranges from 500 million to 1 billion VND, while for overnight cruise ships it can be from 5 to 10 billion VND or even tens of billions of VND.

Mr. Tran Van Hong, head of the Ha Long Tourist Boat Association, said that boat owners have reported the damage to the local authorities. Currently, all levels of government have affirmed that they will provide maximum support to alleviate the difficulties faced by boat owners.

Therefore, ship owners are now eagerly awaiting measures from authorities to assist in salvaging and repairing their vessels, reducing or extending loan interest rates to minimize losses, and restoring business operations as the peak tourist season approaches.