Clearing waterways to ensure boat operations

HNN - Due to its location near the estuary, each rainy and stormy season, the amount of mud and sand often silts up the navigation channels of the lock, making it difficult for fishermen to anchor their boats and fish. Therefore, every year, agencies and units have allocated funds to maintain, dredge and clear the navigation channels of the anchorage areas in the estuary and river mouth.

After storms and heavy rains, the estuary area is often silted up, making it difficult for fishermen to carry out their work.

Frequent sedimentation

The Thuan An Fishing Port project, which includes a storm shelter and anchorage area, with a total investment of 215 billion VND, was completed in 2023 and handed over to the Thuan An Fishing Port Management Board for management and operation in 2024. According to the design, the facility, once operational, will have a capacity to accommodate and depart vessels with a minimum capacity of 20,000 tons per year, meeting the anchorage and storm shelter needs of approximately 500 vessels of various types with a length of 6 meters or more (engine capacity from 45 to 300 horsepower). However, from the end of the 2024 rainy season to the beginning of 2025, localized siltation points appeared in some channels of the Thuan An Fishing Port, causing difficulties for fishermen's vessels entering and leaving the port.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chien (residing in An Duong 2 residential area, Thuan An ward) said that after each rainy and stormy season, boat operations become difficult due to siltation at the harbor entrances. The shallow channels hinder the movement of fishing boats in some harbors such as Phu Hai and Thuan An annually. Thanks to government investment in dredging, fishing activities are not significantly affected. However, fishermen still hope for a more long-term solution to the siltation problem at the harbor entrances and harbors so they can feel secure in their production and continue their livelihoods at sea.

According to the approved design documents, the Thuan An Fishing Port, combined with a storm shelter and anchorage area, is designed to accommodate vessels with engines ranging from 45 to 300 horsepower. The Department of Agriculture and Environment (NN&MT) reported that inspections revealed localized sedimentation in several locations along the shipping channel and anchorage area. Specifically, there is a sedimentation area of ​​approximately 150m2 (0.2m - 0.4m) and five locations with localized high sedimentation areas of approximately 350m2 (0.2m - 0.5m) along the shipping channel and anchorage area.

Similarly, at the mouth of the Lach Giang River in Chan May commune, Lang Co district, the silting of the river mouth has been quite frequent recently, despite being dredged and cleared only since the end of 2023. This silting has been ongoing for years, affecting the operations of fishing boats and other marine products.

The Lach Giang estuary is located within the planned area for the construction of ports serving container transshipment, tourism, trade, and other duty-free zones, belonging to the new urban development area of ​​the Chan May - Lang Co Economic Zone, which has been approved by the Prime Minister. Due to the accumulation of silt and sand at the Lach Giang estuary, in 2023, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) coordinated with the Management Board of the Economic and Industrial Zone, relevant departments, and localities to inspect, survey, and propose solutions for handling the problem.

Funding is needed for dredging.

Recently, the Department of Construction sent a document to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City reporting on the results of the inspection of investment, project management, construction, and acceptance of project components of the Thuan An Fishing Port Project combined with a storm shelter and anchorage area. According to the Department of Construction, the Thuan An Fishing Port Project has been inspected by the State Audit Office and the Ministry of Finance , with independent audits confirming its completion, and the final settlement has been approved by the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City in accordance with regulations. The project's facilities are currently operating normally, and preliminary visual inspections have not revealed any damage related to the main load-bearing structure of the project.

In response to the aforementioned sedimentation, the Department of Agriculture and Environment and the Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Projects directed the supervising consultant and contractor to inspect and carry out localized dredging to complete the project's warranty period. Currently, the mooring area and channel are secure, and vessels of all types with a capacity of ≤300CV are operating normally. According to the proposal from the Department of Construction, given the development of the fisheries industry, an increasing number of large vessels, especially those providing logistics services for the fishing industry with a capacity of 800-1000CV, need to enter the port. Therefore, further dredging of the channel and berths is reasonable. Based on this, the Department of Construction requests the City People's Committee to allocate funds for regular maintenance and upkeep of the channel and infrastructure of ports in general under the management of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, including Thuan An fishing port, to ensure the long-term operation of the ports. During the dredging process, it is necessary to carefully study the appropriate dredging elevation so that ships of 800-1,000 horsepower can dock at the port while still ensuring the safety of the piers.

Previously, the Provincial People's Committee (now the City People's Committee) had also directed the Provincial Economic and Industrial Zone Management Board (now the City Economic and Industrial Zone Management Board) and local authorities to urgently implement dredging solutions at the Lach Giang estuary. Specifically, in 2024, the Economic and Industrial Zone Management Board approved the project to dredge the Lach Giang estuary channel, with a total investment of approximately 2.25 billion VND, and assigned the Center for Management and Exploitation of Economic and Industrial Zone Infrastructure as the investor. The project was completed and handed over for use at the end of 2024.

However, due to the direct impact of storms and successive natural disasters in late 2024 and early 2025, a significant amount of silt and sand has accumulated in the Lach Giang estuary, requiring remediation. Therefore, in 2025 and subsequent years, until the planned port facilities are completed, the City People's Committee will continue to direct and assign the City's Economic and Industrial Zone Management Board to allocate funds annually and develop plans for dredging the estuary and preventing siltation to ensure the safety of fishermen's boats entering and leaving the harbor.

Text and photos: HA NGUYEN

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/khoi-thong-luong-lach-dam-bao-hoat-dong-cua-tau-thuyen-157193.html