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Shipbuilders accused of cheating fishermen
  • | dtinews.vn | May 16, 2017 11:05 AM
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Binh Dinh authorities have criticised several shipbuilding companies for supplying poor-quality fishing vessels but then blamed the fishermen and the sea for their problems.


Many steel vessels became rusty in a short time after use in Binh Dinh Province


Following Government Decree 67 on fisheries development, many fishermen in the southern coastal province of Binh Dinh borrowed tens of billions of dong to replace their traditional wooden boats with bigger steel-clad vessels which are expected to be stronger and can fish further.

However, to their disappointment, many vessels have broken down after just a few trips.

According to a report by local authorities, three of five vessels built by Dai Nguyen Duong Company, and six out of 20 supplied by MTV Nam Trieu Company have seriously deteriorated just a short time after being put into operation.

In an urgent meeting held by the province's leaders with the companies to discuss the causes and solution, the companies just blamed the fishermen and the sea for the problems with their vessels.

"Investigations by experts showed that the problems are partly caused by fishermen who fail to operate the vessels properly, said Bui Huu Hung, deputy director of MTV Nam Trieu Company. "We also used good-quality paint but it became rusty so fast because the sea water is too salty!"

Vice chairman of Binh Dinh Province, Tran Chau strongly rejected the explanation by the ship building company.

"Is there any sea water that is not salty?" he asked. "I can't believe that vessels with good equipment can be damaged just after one trip. Why other vessels operated by the same fishermen are still doing well?"

Chau said that the companies were just taking advantages of management holes to fool local fishermen.

Supporting Chau's idea, vice chairman of Phu My District, Ha Ngoc Tan, pointed out wrongdoings by the Dai Nguyen Duong Company.

"In the contracts signed with the fishermen, Dai Nguyen Duong Company said the vessels were built by South Korean steel, but then they used materials imported from China," Tan revealed. "That's cheating."

Replying Tan's, deputy director of Dai Nguyen Duong, Truong Van Dai, insisted that their made-in-China steel is also of good quality.

Dai's explanations were rejected by the meeting as the provincial vice chairman requested that authorities at some coastal districts support local fishermen to bring the companies to court if they did not mend the vessels following the contract.

“The broken vessels should be rebuilt by the right materials as defined in the contract," Chau stressed.

In a recent letter sent to Binh Dinh Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has also asked local authorities to tighten inspections and monitoring of shipbuilding companies after news of many fishing vessels breaking down a short time after being put into use went viral.

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