Focus on solutions to support the salvage of sunken cruise ships after storms

Storm No. 3 made landfall, Quang Ninh was in the eye of the storm and suffered terrible devastation and serious damage. The storm sank 269 ships and boats, including 28 tourist boats. Although it has been more than 20 days since the storm passed, the work of salvaging and supporting this type of vehicle is still very difficult.

With strong intensity, storm No. 3 caused 28 tourist boats operating to take visitors to Ha Long Bay to sink.

Mr. Bui Van Tuyen, representative of Indochine Ha Long Shipping Company, said: Although before the storm, following the instructions of the authorities, the company moved to the anchorage area. However, storm No. 3 made landfall with very strong winds, gusting to level 17, causing 4 ships to sink. Immediately after the storm, the company started looking for a salvage unit to repair them quickly and put them back into operation. However, up to now, a suitable salvage unit has not been found, and the price quoted is almost twice as high as normal. Therefore, it is very difficult, and every day the ship is submerged in water, the damage and loss will increase.

Ha Long Bay currently owns a large fleet of more than 500 tourist boats, which have made important contributions to the development of tourism in Quang Ninh and the effective and sustainable exploitation of Ha Long Bay heritage. However, storm No. 3 caused 28 boats to sink, some of which were damaged by collision. In order to promptly overcome and stabilize operations, immediately after the storm, Quang Ninh immediately began support work. The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee directly organized meetings with businesses and boat owners whose vessels had sunk to listen to their opinions and wishes and directed relevant units to remove difficulties; determine the locations of sunken boats for salvage, warn passing vehicles... to ensure safety for waterways and routes.

Comrade Cao Tuong Huy, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, met with businesses and ship owners whose vessels had sunk to listen to their opinions and wishes and give directions on how to remove difficulties.

Based on the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Transport has advised on developing a policy to support sunken vessels. However, according to Clause 1, Article 5, Decree 05/2017/ND-CP, the cost of salvaging tourist vessels is borne by the ship owner. Therefore, there is currently no basis for using the support budget. Given the specific nature of the project, in order to promptly support people and businesses in salvaging ships, the province has reported and proposed to the Government and the Ministry of Transport to supplement and expand the support objects so that businesses operating tourist vessels can partially cover the cost of salvaging and repairing damage to watercraft sunken by storm No. 3 and is currently awaiting instructions for implementation.

At the same time, the province has also worked with the State Bank and credit institutions to unify policies related to debt deferral and postponement, and new loans in the form of unsecured loans to support people and businesses in accessing capital sources; requested the Tax Department to implement tax exemption and reduction policies according to current regulations of the State; requested the Department of Transport to search for and connect with salvage units, repair facilities, and new vehicle construction facilities to support businesses in promptly fixing vehicle damage. At the same time, the province has created favorable conditions for re-issuing certificates, vehicle registration, safety certificates, professional competence certificates, and lost crew certificates, etc.

As of October 1, 3 units have deployed to salvage boats in the province, salvaging 111/269 vehicles, including 15/28 tourist boats, operating to take visitors to visit and stay overnight in Ha Long Bay.

Salvage unit salvages sunken cruise ship at Tuan Chau International Cruise Port.

The tourist fleet is an inseparable part of the plan to effectively and sustainably exploit the heritage and wonders of Ha Long Bay. After nearly 30 years of operation, the fleet has been gradually upgraded in a synchronous and modern direction, creating a fair and healthy tourism business environment, satisfying millions of visitors each year. However, storm No. 3 has affected almost all socio-economic activities in the province, affecting and disrupting people's lives and business activities. In this context, with self-reliance and resilience, Quang Ninh has urgently implemented post-storm recovery measures, finding appropriate solutions to stabilize people's lives and bring production activities back soon.

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