For fishermen in Dien Chau district ( Nghe An ), the sandbar at the estuary is always a nightmare every time their boats dock. Every year, many vehicles run aground, causing huge property damage.
Heartbroken to abandon property at the sea gate
Since the fishing boat ran aground at the mouth of Lach Van, Dang Van Hai (born in 1979) and Ngo Thi Duan (born in 1980), residing in Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune, Dien Chau district, Nghe An, have had to work for hire to make a living.
The makeshift, dilapidated house on his grandparents’ land is the only place for him and his wife and four young children to live. The man’s sad, bewildered face is filled with grief as the fishing boat, the family’s biggest asset, recently ran aground.
Mr. Hai recounted that at around 11pm on November 4, his fishing boat, numbered NA-3740-TS with a capacity of over 140CV and a length of nearly 14m, was on its way to Lach Van port (about 100m from shore) when it unfortunately encountered big waves and strong winds and was pushed onto a sandbar.
Immediately afterwards, the crew quickly informed the local authorities and members of the fishing union of Dien Ngoc commune (Dien Chau district) to come and support and help move the vehicle away from the accident site.
The ship owner hired two more excavators and a tractor to help rescue the vehicle. However, due to strong winds and large waves, by around 6am on November 5, the bottom of the boat had sunk deep into the sand.
"My family had to accept dismantling all the machinery and transporting fishing gear and items out of the vehicle to reduce some of the damage," Mr. Hai said sadly.
Vice Chairman of Dien Ngoc Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung said: "The incident caused Hai's family to lose hundreds of millions of dong, falling into a difficult situation. Now the couple has sold the machinery and fishing gear they salvaged and have to work for hire every day to take care of their children's education."
Previously, in July 2024, fishing boats NA-90479-TS and NA-90582-TS of fishermen in Dien Bich commune (Dien Chau district) were also stranded on the way to the estuary, water flooded into the boat, damaged the engine, causing damage of nearly 50 million VND.
According to statistics, from the beginning of 2024 to now (November 2024), 9 fishing boats of fishermen have had accidents in the Van Lach port area, causing great damage to fishermen.
Many fishermen in Dien Chau district said: "The Van estuary has been silted up for decades, causing many difficulties and costs for fishermen every time they go to sea to fish or come ashore to sell seafood. The shallow channel forces fishing boats over 15m long to wait for the highest tide to dock. Going out to sea and fishing for people is very difficult."
Take the ship to another place to anchor
Lach Van estuary is one of the six major estuaries of Nghe An province, welcoming hundreds of fishing boats of Dien Chau district every day.
Over the past decades, the Van Lach estuary has been seriously silted up by the Bung River, which has been blown in by the Northeast monsoon, creating dangerous sandbanks. This situation poses a potential safety risk to vehicles traveling in and out of the creek.
Also due to the shallow channel, many Dien Chau fishermen have had to take their boats to other places for shelter. Among them, the fishing logistics ship of more than 1,000 horsepower owned by Mr. Ngo Tri Dong (residing in Dien Ngoc commune) has had to dock at Cua Lo port or Lach Quen port since it was put into use and cannot enter Lach Van port.
Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dien Chau district, Le The Hieu, said that the sedimentation situation at Lach Van estuary is becoming increasingly serious, greatly affecting the fishing activities of fishermen.
"Every year, the District People's Committee sends documents to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee and related agencies to request early solutions to overcome and handle the sedimentation situation at Lach Van estuary," said Mr. Hieu.
According to Mr. Hieu, the silting of Lach Van estuary has made it difficult for ships to enter and exit. Many ship owners have suffered heavy losses due to their ships running aground and being unable to be repaired. The shallow estuary also poses a risk of accidents, causing loss of life and property. In addition, fishermen cannot develop offshore fishing fleets, and fishing logistics activities also face many difficulties.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ngu-dan-nghe-an-khoc-rong-vi-tau-ca-nat-tuom-khi-mac-can-noi-cua-bien-2347239.html
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