Vietnam: Fishermen forced to use out-of-province ports for boats over 15 meters

Fishermen in Vietnam's Quảng Ngãi province face significant hurdles due to inadequate port facilities. Boats longer than 15 meters, crucial for offshore fishing, are required by law to dock at designated ports to complete administrative tasks like verifying seafood origin and submitting logbooks. However, the newly opened Trà Bồng river port in Quảng Ngãi, despite meeting Type 3 port standards, has not been designated as a "designated fishing port." This forces dozens of local fishermen to travel to ports in other provinces, such as Lý Sơn or even Kỳ Hà in Đà Nẵng. The journey adds considerable fuel costs and travel time, directly affecting the efficiency and profitability of their fishing trips. For instance, boat owner Bùi Đức Quang estimates a round trip to Kỳ Hà costs about 40 liters of fuel and takes roughly 4 hours, while a trip to Lý Sơn consumes 60 liters and takes 6 hours. "If the locality had a 'designated fishing port,' we would save a lot of time and cost, and improve fishing trip efficiency," Quang stated, expressing a strong desire to complete procedures at the Trà Bồng port. While the port was upgraded and opened for procedures in mid-June, a provincial decision on June 24 temporarily halted these services for offshore vessels, citing the lack of designation. This leaves fishermen in Vạn Tường and Bình Sơn communes, who operate nearly 1,200 vessels including over 300 large ones, in a state of uncertainty and continued inconvenience.

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If the locality had a 'designated fishing port,' we would save a lot of time and cost, and improve fishing trip efficiency. Fishermen here really want to complete departure procedures at the Trà Bồng river port for convenience and to save travel costs.