Ten engineers from the Da Nang-based Bao Duy Oil Spill Response and Marine Service Joint Stock Company have recently been busy designing a steel-hulled squid fishing boat for Mr Tran Van Muoi from Son Tra District’s Man Thai Ward in Da Nang. 

The company’s General Director, engineer Tran Cong Vinh, said that this 31m-long, 8.3m-wide boat would cost about 11 billion VND to build.  Despite its high initial cost, he added that this type of boat brings more benefits to fishermen than a wooden boat. 

Working on a steel-hulled rescue boat at the Bao Duy Company

In particular, the storage capacity of a steel-hulled boat is nearly double that of a wooden one and, although it travels faster, fuel consumption is about 10% lower.  Most notably, it is equipped with modern seafood preservation technology which will improve the quality of exported products.  In addition, it is possible to pump water out of the boat to store seafood, and pump water back into its tanks in strong winds for ballast.

In addition, the seafood storage compartments on the boat are separated by partitions.  The boat’s cockpit and deck will be installed with shatter-proof glass windows to withstand poor sea conditions and any direct collisions with Chinese boats.  This will help to minimise the effects of unexpected incidents at sea.

Due to the above-mentioned benefits, many local fishermen have now switched to building and operating high-capacity steel-hulled boats.

The authorised Chairman of Da Nang's Fishery Association, Mr Tran Van Linh, said that steel-hulled boats require higher skills than wooden ones in maritime and machinery operations.  He, therefore, stressed the need for the Vietnamese government to establish a centre for forecasting fishing grounds and assessing fish stocks in order to define which localities should build wooden boats or steel-hulled ones, and how much seafood should be caught.