Con Dao ship sinking fee of 1 billion VND: Collect money long term instead of selling scrap metal!

(Dan Tri) - The tourism company proposed to sink the ship, estimated to cost about 1 billion VND, to create a high-class diving spot for sustainable tourism instead of selling it as scrap metal for only one-time payment.

Recently, information related to the case of a travel company proposing to sink the Sheng Li shipwreck currently anchored in Con Dao special zone has especially attracted public attention.

Sheng Li ship is anchored in Con Dao (Photo: Tuan Tu).

The Sheng Li ship drifted freely, was towed back by authorities, and anchored at the port of Squadron R33 (Command of Coast Guard Region 3, stationed in Con Dao special zone) awaiting processing.

In early August, Amadive Travel Services Company Limited sent a document to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism proposing a project to sink the Sheng Li shipwreck to create a high-class diving spot in Con Dao.

Speaking to Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Ngo Tuan Tu, director of Amadive Tourism Services Company Limited, said that the unit had previously conducted a survey of the current condition of the ship.

Specifically, inside the ship there are many cleaning areas that need to be removed such as the ceiling panels that cause pollution, the steering system, and the oil tank that need to be cleaned. There is still a lot of garbage inside the ship, and a thick layer of grease.

The ship has 6 interconnected cargo holds, a main engine, 2 auxiliary engines, a generator and a propeller. All are contaminated with salt water, rusted and no longer functional.

According to initial observations of the unit, due to lack of maintenance for a long time, the ship's hull has seriously degraded and is heavily damaged.

The project objective from the tourism company is to create a new sea tourism product, attracting tourists who love diving. The dossier has been sent to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province (before the merger) and the Tourism Promotion Center of this province.

The ship's current condition has seriously degraded (Photo: Tuan Tu).

Legally, before the merger, the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province approved the plan to auction the Sheng Li ship for scrap metal with a starting bid of 1.7 billion VND. The ship will go through 2 auction rounds.

In case the ship has no unit to buy both rings, the project of sinking the ship to develop into a new diving tourist destination is considered for implementation.

According to Mr. Tuan Tu, if the Sheng Li ship is auctioned for scrap metal, the government will only get it once. Meanwhile, if it is sunk for tourism purposes, it could be turned into a unique and sustainable tourism product, attracting visitors to Con Dao.

"There are many abandoned ships in the world that have been converted to new business purposes such as diving sites to generate revenue and bring sustainable value instead of just collecting money from selling scrap metal once. However, we still have to follow the policy, prioritizing sustainable tourism development in Con Dao, not massively," Mr. Tu analyzed.

If the project is approved, the unit expects to spend about one billion VND to sink the ship. The ship will be sunk at Hon Tai, at a depth of about 30m.

The process of sinking a ship must go through many steps to ensure safety and limit environmental impact. The entire ship must be cleaned, and non-metallic parts and potentially harmful materials removed, leaving only the iron hull to be sunk.

The company plans to hire a professional unit to conduct surveys and take water samples before and after sinking the ship about once a quarter. Specifically, water samples will be used to assess the pH index, the level of heavy metal pollution such as lead, and to analyze the bottom structure and existing ecosystem.

Diving in Con Dao is currently one of the services attracting visitors (Photo: Character provided).

Along with that, the unit will bring ships to the surveyed sea area to sink, creating an environment for marine life to develop.

From shipwrecks, the company can develop tourism products aimed at a group of customers with high spending capacity. These are in-depth diving tours to see shipwrecks for people with international diving certificates or tours for non-diving guests, tours around the shipwrecks, diving courses...

Under the proposal, the company would have exclusive rights to exploit the sunken ship for 10 years.

Dan Tri reporters conducted a quick survey and learned that Vietnam currently does not officially have a diving tour to see shipwrecks.

In Con Dao, there is currently only a tour to see the wreck of the American ship LCM-8 in Con Son Bay. However, the LCM-8 is small, measuring just over 20m in length and lying at a depth of about 6m, not attractive enough for professional divers.

The diving tour price is from 3.2 million VND/person for an experience time of 8am to 12pm. During that time, guests can dive twice, each time lasting about 45 minutes depending on each person's physical condition.

"The Sheng Li ship is 52m long and 8.5m wide. If the project is approved, it will be sunk at a depth of about 30m, which will certainly create many complete and interesting experiences for tourists," said Mr. Tu.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Phuong, representative of a travel agency currently operating tours to dive to see coral and take tourists to see sea turtles laying eggs, said that information about the sinking of the Sheng Li ship also received attention from tourism workers in Con Dao.

"Currently, Con Dao does not have many new types of services for visitors to experience. Therefore, if any unit exploits and provides services, it will certainly attract a large number of visitors here," said Mr. Phuong.

In fact, wreck diving is a new type of tourism in Vietnam, but it is very popular in neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, bringing high economic value.

In Bali, Indonesia, tourists can experience scuba diving to observe a sunken American cargo ship at depths ranging from 5m to 30m, suitable for all levels of divers. Tour prices range from 100 USD/person equivalent to 2.6 million VND (for those with a diving certificate) and from 120 USD/person equivalent to 3.1 million VND (for those without a diving certificate).

Similarly, in Pattaya, Thailand, a Navy ship was intentionally sunk in 2003 to create a tourist attraction at a depth of nearly 30m. Diving prices vary, including personal equipment rental, from 95 USD/person (2.5 million VND).

On August 12, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa - Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism - said that the Department had received a proposal from Amadive Company to sink the ship to create a high-class diving spot.

The Department of Tourism has sent a written comment to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, requesting a survey and assessment of the proposed location, impact forecast and water quality monitoring, ensuring no pollution and no impact on tourist beaches, especially in Con Dao.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/phi-danh-chim-tau-con-dao-1-ty-dong-thu-tien-lau-dai-thay-vi-ban-sat-vun-20250812115303616.htm