Complete the storm shelter and mooring area for fishing boats on Co To Island as soon as possible.

The project for a storm shelter and mooring area for fishing boats on Co To Island is currently under rapid construction and is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. Upon completion, it will contribute to ensuring the safety of local people and fishing vessels, as well as those from neighboring provinces, during storms, minimizing damage to fishermen's lives and property, and contributing to the socio -economic development of Co To Island district and Quang Ninh province.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien inspects the implementation of the storm shelter and anchorage area project in Co To district (August 2024).

Despite being operational for many years, the Northern Gulf of Tonkin Fisheries Logistics Area (Co To Fishing Port) in Co To district is facing several shortcomings and has not fully utilized its potential. Therefore, further investment and upgrades are needed to meet its full scale and functionality. Phase I of the Co To Fishing Port project commenced in 2009 with a total investment of over 466 billion VND. By 2012, Phase I was completed, allowing fishing vessels operating in the Northern Gulf of Tonkin fishing grounds to dock. By the end of 2015, Phase II of the Co To Fishing Port project was launched with a total investment of over 61 billion VND and completed in 2018. The infrastructure for Phase II has been completed, including a storm shelter for fishing vessels, roads, a wastewater treatment plant, water supply, staging areas, and an administrative building.

However, since its completion and commissioning, the Co To fishing port has not seen many vessels docking there. The reason is that... The Co To fishing port has three sides: one side is the island's slope, one side is enclosed by a dike, but the remaining side is left open. Therefore, if there is a south wind, ships and boats can anchor there. However, if there is a north wind, water and waves accumulate and become trapped by the dike and the island's slope, turning the harbor into a turbulent area with strong waves, making it unsafe for ships to anchor. In addition, there is... The lack of coordination in the lock system, access ramps, and mooring buoys creates many difficulties for the movement and transportation of goods.

Port area planning map — Planning map for the Co To Island fishing boat storm shelter project.

Given the current shortcomings in the Co To fishing port area, on December 27, 2023, The project for a storm shelter and anchorage area for fishing vessels on Co To Island has been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Decision No. 5083/QD-BNN-TCTS; the total investment is nearly 660 billion VND, of which nearly 500 billion VND comes from the central government budget and nearly 160 billion VND from the provincial budget. The project will be a key step in upgrading and improving the Co To Island fishing port area and ensuring safe anchorage and storm shelter for fishermen.

The project is being developed as a regional-level storm shelter and anchorage area, meeting the mooring needs of 1,200 fishing vessels with a capacity of up to 800 horsepower, including: the Co To harbor area accommodating 360 vessels from 90 to 800 horsepower; construction of a breakwater on the north side; a connecting road from the port to the fisheries logistics service area; the Truong Xuan bay area accommodating 840 vessels with 200 horsepower or less; construction of a boarding/disembarking point for fishing vessels; a connecting road; and an access channel to the anchorage area.

The Quang Ninh Provincial Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Projects was assigned as the project's investor. The project commenced on December 6, 2023, with simultaneous construction starting on February 1, 2024, immediately after the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 409/QD-UBND on the change of land use purpose and allocation of land in the first phase, covering an area of 19.14 hectares. In 2024, the project was allocated 70 billion VND, including 10 billion VND from the central government budget and 60 billion VND from the provincial budget. To date, the project has completed construction work on several components.

When completed and put into use , the storm shelter for fishing boats on Co To Island will ensure the safety of people and fishing boats from Quang Ninh province and neighboring provinces, providing safe shelter during storms, minimizing damage to people and property of fishermen, and fulfilling the aspirations of the people. Mr. Bui Van Nhu, owner of fishing boat QN 90964, shared: "For a long time, we fishermen have wanted a comprehensive fishing port to facilitate trading, handling goods, and sheltering from storms. Currently, many fishing boats go out to sea, however, the existing ports and storm shelters in Co To district are already overloaded. In recent years, the weather has become more unpredictable, with increasingly dangerous storms, higher gusts of wind, and more violent waves." Whenever it rains or storms, people struggle to find shelter. Therefore, for us fishermen, the construction and early commissioning of the storm shelter and anchorage area for fishing boats on Co To Island is a matter of great joy, excitement, and urgency.

The breakwater project for the storm shelter and anchorage area for fishing boats on Co To Island has been completed, reaching approximately 25% of the total volume.

According to the representative of the Provincial Project Management Board for Investment and Construction of Agricultural and Rural Development Projects (the project's investor): Currently, due to unpredictable weather conditions and the impact of storms, construction has been interrupted for a period of time. To date, the breakwater project has been completed to approximately 25% of the contract value; the Truong Xuan Bay dredging project has been completed to approximately 5% of the contract value; the mooring buoy project has been completed to approximately 18.8%; and the connecting road project has been completed to approximately 27.9% of the contract value. In 2024, we have planned the allocation and estimated disbursement of capital by quarter and developed a detailed plan for the implementation of the project's components. In the coming time, the unit will continue to urge the contractor, concentrate manpower and machinery, and take advantage of favorable weather conditions to implement the construction components, striving to complete the project on schedule.

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