Ship hull cleaning profession

( Quang Ngai Newspaper) - After fishing trips, boat owners hire people to scrape and clean the shells of snails and oysters clinging to the bottom of the boats. The job of scraping the bottom of boats is very arduous, but many people still stick with it to earn an income and support their families.

Having just returned from a long fishing trip in the Truong Sa archipelago, Mr. Pham Tan Duc, from Binh Chau commune (Binh Son district), took the opportunity to bring his two boats, with a total capacity of nearly 900 horsepower, to a slipway in Tinh Hoa commune (Quang Ngai city) for cleaning and refurbishment. The bottoms of the boats were covered with a thick layer of barnacles and mussels that were very difficult to remove. “These things cling very stubbornly; only using a scraper can dislodge them from the hull. Every four months or so, I bring the boats ashore and hire workers to clean them. Because if they aren't cleaned, this layer of barnacles and mussels not only restricts the speed of the boats but also corrodes them in the long run, leading to damage,” Mr. Duc explained.

According to fishermen, the frequency of boat cleaning varies depending on the conditions of each boat owner. Some owners clean their boats ashore every 5-6 months, while others clean their boats on the slipway every 3-4 months. The cost for each cleaning and repainting of a boat is around 15-20 million VND, depending on the size of the vessel.

The worker uses a scraper to clean the layers of oysters and mussels clinging to the bottom of the fishing boat.

After stabilizing the newly loaded ship on the slipway, the seven-person ship cleaning team led by Mr. Pham Tan Tu from Tinh Hoa commune quickly brought in a high-capacity water hose to clean the vessel. The team members divided up the work. Some used water hoses to spray the hull, while others used scrapers to remove oysters, mussels, and snails clinging to the bottom of the ship. Even in the scorching midday sun, the ship cleaners were still working tirelessly. Looking at their hands, calloused and scratched, I could sense how arduous the job of cleaning ships truly is. On average, Mr. Pham Tan Tu's team cleans three ships a day, earning approximately 2.5 million VND per person. This means each person earns about 330,000 VND.

“This job is very hard; we spend all day submerged in water and exposed to the elements on the slipway, so it requires good health to endure it. It’s easier in the dry season, but the rainy season is much harder because we have to immerse ourselves in cold water to lift the ships onto the slipway, and then spend all day in the rain scrubbing them. It’s tough, but thanks to this job, my brothers and I have regular work and money to support our families,” Mr. Tu explained.

Besides the ships being brought onto the slipway, many also hire divers to clean the vessels. To scrub and clean these fishing boats, the divers have to wear breathing tubes and carry a diving tool, spending hours underwater cleaning the ships. The work is difficult, strenuous, and dangerous, so it is only for strong men. Consequently, the pay is higher.

With over a decade of experience as a diver scraping the bottom of ships underwater, Mr. Pham Vinh, from Tinh Hoa commune, still remembers the incidents he encountered during his work. “There were times when I got cramps and couldn’t surface, so my teammates quickly helped me get to shore. Or there were times when the air tank malfunctioned, causing the diver to lose strength, their limbs go limp, and sometimes even get a nosebleed…,” Mr. Vinh confided.

Text and photos: AN NHIEN

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Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/kinh-te/202409/nghe-lam-sach-day-tau-6f915d3/