Tu Hien estuary breakwater area seen from above

Sedimentation

From the compensation fund of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, the city has implemented a project to upgrade fishing infrastructure with a total investment of 400 billion VND, invested by the Department of Agriculture and Environment (DARD). In particular, the Thuan An Fishing Port component project combined with a storm shelter with a total investment of 220 billion VND was completed in 2023 and handed over to the management and operation unit in 2024. The project, when put into operation, will ensure the scale for ships to dock and depart with a minimum capacity of 20,000 tons/year, meeting the needs of anchoring and storm sheltering for about 500 ships of all types with a length of 6m or more, equivalent to a capacity of 45 to 300 CV.

However, in recent times, fishermen in Thuan An ward as well as other localities have reported that since its operation, Thuan An Fishing Port still has some areas with insufficient depth for large ships to anchor, as well as shelter during the stormy season. According to fishermen, the project is located opposite Thuan An estuary as well as near the end of the Huong River outlet, leading to rapid siltation of the channel. Despite dredging, it is still difficult for large-capacity ships to enter and exit, and there is a potential risk of insecurity, especially during the stormy season.

Similarly, in Vinh Loc commune, although the Tu Hien fishing port project combined with the storm shelter anchorage area has just been invested, the waterway from Tu Hien estuary to the front of Vinh Hien market has not been dredged, and has been silted for many years, making it very difficult for fishing boats to move. The boat anchorage area in Hien An 2 village - the traditional anchorage area for fishermen over many years - has also been silted, and has not been dredged or cleared, affecting the movement and anchorage of boats.

Recently, the Department of Construction has sent a document to the City People's Committee reporting the results of the inspection of investment, project management, construction, and acceptance of construction items of the Thuan An Fishing Port Project combined with the storm shelter anchorage area. Accordingly, the City People's Committee has assigned the Department of Construction to preside over and coordinate with relevant units and localities to clarify the content of some locations on the shipping channel and the anchorage area that were locally silted in a short time after dredging and report to the City People's Committee.

Need dredging route

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the Thuan An Fishing Port Project combined with the storm shelter anchorage area has been completed and the relevant departments and branches have notified the acceptance results of the inspection of the completion of the project and put it into use. The investor has organized the handover of the project to the Thua Thien Hue Fishing Port Management Board (now Hue City) for management and use from December 31, 2023, the warranty period is 1 year and will officially end the warranty when the council has a record confirming the completion of the warranty.

Regarding some locations on the shipping route and anchorage areas that were locally silted after dredging, the Department of Agriculture and Environment said that because the construction area is located opposite the Thuan An estuary and near the end of the Huong River outlet, during the rainy and stormy season, the amount of mud and sand blown in by waves and wind from the estuary converges with the water flowing out of the Huong River, causing local silting at the entrance to the route. Through inspection, the silting location has an area of about 150m2 and 5 locations are still locally high on the route and the anchorage area is about 350m2. Up to now, the investor and the Project Management Board have directed the supervision consultants and contractors to inspect and dredge these local points to end the project warranty. Up to now, the anchorage area and route have been ensured and all types of boats with a capacity of ≤300CV operate normally.

Also according to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, in 2020, the Provincial People's Committee (now the City People's Committee) approved the investment project of Tu Hien Fishing Port combined with a storm shelter anchorage area with a total investment of 148 billion VND. In particular, there is a dredging item of 3 sections of the route with a total dredging length of nearly 1.7km, including sections from the sea to Tu Hien Fishing Port of more than 1.25km; the section from the boat lock exit to Tu Hien bridge is 207m long and the section from Tu Hien bridge to the fishing port is 234m long. The project was completed by the end of 2023 and put into use, contributing to ensuring waterway traffic and preventing sedimentation and landslides at Tu Hien estuary.

However, currently, there is still about 800m of the waterway from the front of Vinh Hien market to the boat anchorage area of Hien An 2 village that has not been dredged or cleared, while the project has now been completed. In order to ensure the safety of fishing boats, the City People's Committee has requested the local authorities to coordinate with the local border guards to guide fishermen and boat owners to move in the waterway with deep water sources to ensure safety.

In the long term, the City People's Committee requests departments, branches and localities to study and prepare investment procedures for the project to dredge and clear the boat anchorage area of Hien An 2 village and a section of the waterway about 800m long from the front of Vinh Hien market to the boat anchorage area of Hien An 2 village to report to the City People's Committee for consideration and addition to the list to be included in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2026 - 2030, as a basis for implementing the project when resources are balanced.

Article and photos: HA NGUYEN

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/xay-dung-giao-thong/luong-lach-bi-boi-lang-ngu-dan-kho-neo-dau-tau-thuyen-156080.html