With his inventions and technological innovations contributing to the modernization of offshore fishing fleets, aiming at sustainable fisheries development, Mr. Le Tan Them - Director of Le Them Ship Production, Trade and Service Limited Liability Company (Quy Nhon city, Binh Dinh province) is affectionately called "barefoot engineer" or "midwife" by fishermen.
With more than 20 years of experience in the marine engineering industry, Mr. Le Tan Them has had the opportunity to travel to many places and meet many fishermen. Through the stories shared, he understands all the difficulties they face. From there, with practical experience, Mr. Them is determined to research and create breakthrough and useful technological products to help fishermen confidently go out to sea.
Mr. Them shared that at first, he only produced simple products to replace imported goods. Gradually, realizing that the demand of fishermen was increasing, he boldly expanded the scale and variety.
"The premise for me to think big and do big is thanks to the success in using 304 stainless steel to manufacture hydraulic cylinders to replace hard chrome-plated steel which is prone to rust in the marine environment. Although this material is a bit more expensive, the advantages are that it is durable, runs smoothly, and does not rust. Anyone who uses it is satisfied," Mr. Them confided.
In addition to replacing materials, Mr. Them also developed the hydraulic steering system into a smart system integrating remote control technology and GPS, allowing flexible switching between automatic and manual steering, helping the ship driver turn the rudder smoothly and freeing him from having to continuously control it manually.
Not only that, the hydraulic steering system also helps the ship maintain a stable direction, ensuring safety throughout the journey. With a localization rate of about 80%, using this device helps reduce costs by 15-30 million VND depending on the type of ship, saving nearly 50% compared to imported goods.
He proactively imported automatic steering equipment, improved some details to suit actual conditions, and was ready to support fishermen with installation. In particular, the combination of hydraulic steering and automatic steering equipment created an optimal control system, allowing the rudder to rotate left and right with a maximum steering angle of 80 degrees, helping the ship to easily change direction in narrow spaces. This initiative was highly appreciated by experts and won First Prize at the 13th Binh Dinh Province Technical Innovation Contest (2022-2023).
Fisherman Vo Van Han (37 years old, residing in Kien Giang ), owner of fishing boat KG 94396-TS, said he ordered hydraulic steering equipment and automatic steering rake from "barefoot engineer" Le Tan Them. The equipment works very well, is durable, helps him minimize labor, and increases income. If before, each trip to sea required 5-6 people, now only 2 people are needed. Since then, many other fishermen have also expressed interest in ordering.
Fisherman Tran Dinh Nguyen (53 years old, residing in Binh Dinh), owner of fishing boat BD 91167-TS, said that installing a hydraulic steering system is quite convenient, he is no longer haunted by the scene of having to move his hands continuously for dozens of hours like before. Seafood exploitation activities are also much less difficult.
Recently, Mr. Le Tan Them has successfully tested a machine that filters seawater into fresh water with integrated UV sterilization technology. For this device, he has improved the RO membrane to optimize pressure to increase water flow. Parts in contact with seawater such as elbows and tees are made of anti-corrosion 316 stainless steel.
Another "highlight" is that he also self-made a high-pressure pump that can withstand salt water to replace imported goods, helping to reduce the cost by half (from 60 million VND to 30 million VND). The filter has a capacity of 400 liters/hour, 3-5 times higher than other products on the market (80-130 liters/hour). Drinking water from the filter has been tested by the Central Environmental Testing and Inspection Company Limited to meet 26 quality criteria. This helps fishermen reduce their worries about domestic water sources when fishing for long periods at sea.
In 2024, Mr. Them's company was recognized as a provincial Science and Technology enterprise with 9 products including: stainless steel steering wheel, stainless steel box covering the steering pod, stainless steel covered hydraulic cylinder rod, stainless steel base for mounting the cylinder rod, oil tank, booster foot, oil cooler, mango seed and throttle. This is the result, a worthy recognition for the tireless efforts of him and his colleagues.
Mr. Le Tan Them's technology products are not only trusted by domestic fishermen but also have the opportunity to be exported abroad. In 2024 alone, the company sold more than 830 products to the market; of which nearly 730 were science and technology products, accounting for more than 87%.
Mr. Huynh Xuan Truong, Head of Technology and Post and Telecommunications Department, Binh Dinh Department of Science and Technology, assessed that the hydraulic steering system for ships is a good initiative in the field of mechanics and automation, bringing high economic efficiency, proven through practice.
The device has quite unique features, simple structure, compact size so it is easy to operate, especially in bad weather. Applying this technology will help fishermen reduce their dependence on imported equipment, creating the right direction for sustainable fishing development…/.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/ky-su-chan-dat-va-nhung-phat-minh-hien-dai-hoa-doi-tau-danh-bat-xa-bo-post1042941.vnp
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