How can we resolve the difficulties faced by cruise ship owners?

Overview of the meeting on September 27th.

To ensure waterway safety and clear inland waterways to meet the needs of tourism recovery and goods trade, immediately after the storm, the Department of Transport directed relevant units to coordinate with other units and businesses to salvage and identify the locations of sunken ships to warn passing vessels… To date, 9 out of 28 tourist boats have been salvaged, including 2 overnight cruise ships.

At the meeting, representatives of the Tourist Boat Association and businesses operating tourist boats in Ha Long Bay expressed their gratitude for the province's attention and guidance in post-storm recovery efforts to help tourism activities return to normal as soon as possible. They also reported on some difficulties encountered, such as the high cost of salvaging sunken vessels, difficulty accessing bank loans, and the need for businesses to still fulfill their financial obligations under tax and insurance policies.

Representatives of the Cruise Ship Association and cruise ship businesses requested the Provincial People's Committee to implement solutions to support and connect with salvage, repair, and new shipbuilding units to provide support for businesses; support access to capital sources such as debt deferral, new loans, and tax reductions according to current State regulations; and support with legal procedures in issuing certificates and registering vessels.

At the meeting, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Cao Tuong Huy shared his sympathy for the difficulties and losses faced by businesses operating tourist boats. He stated that the tourist boat fleet is an inseparable part of the goal of effectively and sustainably exploiting the heritage and wonders of Ha Long Bay. The fleet has gradually improved its service quality, becoming more standardized, modernized, and professionalized.

Ship owners need support from Quang Ninh province to recover after the storm.

To promptly support tourism boat businesses, the province has implemented numerous solutions and directives to address the aftermath of the storm. However, some provisions, such as support for salvage costs, are not included in existing state regulations and policies. Given its unique characteristics, Quang Ninh has reported to and proposed to the Government and the Ministry of Transport to provide guidance, supplement, and expand the scope of support to partially cover salvage costs and repair damage to vessels sunk by Typhoon No. 3 for tourism boat businesses.

Regarding proposals for accessing capital, the Provincial People's Committee has worked with the State Bank of Vietnam and credit institutions to request the extension or postponement of debts and the provision of new loans on an unsecured basis. Currently, credit institutions are still implementing steps to provide specific guidance to individuals and organizations in need of accessing capital. Other units have also implemented tax exemption and reduction policies in accordance with current State regulations.

On this occasion, Mr. Cao Tuong Huy also suggested that businesses and specialized agencies continue to research, expand, and effectively exploit the unique landscape value of Ha Long Bay in a sustainable manner, by reviewing, researching, and introducing new tourism products; paying attention to infrastructure issues; ensuring environmental protection and landscape preservation. Initially, some new tour routes could be piloted; and new regulations and rules for managing tourist boat operations should be urgently issued to meet and align with the province's development goals in the coming period.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/quang-ninh-go-kho-cho-chu-tau-du-lich-bang-cach-nao.html