From this port, coal goes everywhere.

From these ports, coal is shipped to cement factories, thermal power plants, and shipped to many places by ocean-going ships to contribute fuel to life...

Coal is gathered and covered with tarpaulin very carefully.

The bravery of a soldier worker

I would like to talk about the 2 terminals of the Port Company, the predecessor of the Port Enterprise established in 1995, in 2006 it was transformed into the Port Company - Branch of the Dong Bac Corporation, with the main functions and tasks of production, business and military defense. The Company currently has 2 affiliated workshops in Khe Day, Cam Pha and in Hong Thai Tay, Dong Trieu with a total of 451 officers, civil servants, employees and workers.

In addition to ensuring the assigned tasks, the Port Company has gradually expanded the coal warehouse area, upgraded the conveyor belt and Khe Day Port to increase the coal receiving and processing capacity, save costs, and reduce product prices. Currently, the port area in Khe Day is 26 hectares wide, with 4 conveyor belt systems and a hard chute with a capacity of 4-5 million tons/year. The Company has built a conveyor belt and upgraded Khe Day Port, a major project of the Corporation with an investment of 1,257 billion VND, which has helped the unit develop sustainably and stably in the long term.

Ship enters to load coal at Hong Thai Tay port.

At Khe Day, the working atmosphere of the Port Company is always bustling. On the shore, the black coal still flows down to the ship's holds. A line of vehicles come and go in and out busily. As soon as we entered the "headquarters" of the Company, we felt like we were living in an airy, fresh space. The "cultural quality" is clearly shown throughout the entire premises of the Company. The modern communal dining area with a continuous boiler cooking system. The workers' meals are among the most complete among the enterprises in the province.

At the Port Company, we met a very young director, Lieutenant Colonel Bui Thanh Son, born in 1981. When mentioning Lieutenant Colonel Bui Thanh Son, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Company, everyone admires his dedication and concerns that have led the Company to steady progress. The young director "stands at the forefront" of a unit with 450 cadres, officers, defense workers, professional soldiers and contract workers. The unit is located in two locations, causing great difficulties in management and operation. There are many other difficulties to face, such as: reduced coal output, high prices of raw materials and fuel, poor coal quality, depreciation costs, increased interest rates, and complicated weather conditions.

A question that always makes Lieutenant Colonel Son restless during many sleepless nights is how to keep workers closely attached to the unit. To do so, we must remind our brothers to ensure the highest safety in the stages of coal production, transportation, and processing. At the same time, we must take the best care of the material and spiritual life of the workers. Although the unit's operating area is scattered, we absolutely must not arrange workers to work in the wrong direction.

In particular, during the past summer months, the Company implemented heat-proofing solutions for workers, buying shirts with fans attached to the back; supplementing mineral water for workers working directly outdoors, dispelling fatigue. Commanders and directors must always look at the spirit and temperament of the workers...

Lieutenant Colonel Son himself has always been a pioneer and exemplary in the emulation movement with many initiatives and solutions to improve productivity, quality and efficiency in production and business. A typical example is the initiative "Improving the bucket to lift coal from under the water vehicle" which makes use of old materials, saves labor and production costs, and brings in a profit of over 300 million VND. Or the initiative "Improving the three-wheel axle bearing (2-in-1 benefit)" has saved time, replacement materials, production costs, and brings in a profit of over 200 million VND. In particular, the initiative "Research and processing of pressure tanks to support the replacement of axle oil and gear oil for medium- and long-distance transport vehicles: Scania, Foton, Howo, Kmaz" has brought in a profit of nearly 1 billion VND per year.

Another initiative that he is fond of is “Selecting high-quality coal from low-quality coal”. For example, coal 6 is imported through the washing system with an output of about 15,000 tons per month. Coal 6 will produce coal 3, then coal 4, contributing to improving the quality of coal. This initiative has created many jobs, bringing high economic efficiency. That is because, in the past, every time coal was exported, workers had no work. Now, thanks to the high-quality coal washing system, workers never lack work. There is never a situation of layoffs.

Having worked in more than a dozen different units, Director Son has become more aware of the hardships of workers. To produce each ton of coal, workers must exchange their sweat, tears and sometimes even their blood. A manager must love the drops of sweat on the faces of miners. A production unit commander must love the bright smiles at the end of each shift, and fear the streams of blood flowing from the coal seams when the furnace collapses. Must love coal as much as he loves people, must fear crying, fear painful crying. Looking into his determined eyes, I realized his deep love for his job and people.

Lieutenant Colonel Pham Viet Cuong, Manager of Workshop 3, commanded the workers to cover the coal with tarpaulin.

In addition to performing well in production and business tasks, the Company also focuses on maintaining environmental hygiene, especially the road leading to the port and the internal road of the coal warehouse. Mr. Bui Van Hung, Deputy Manager of Workshop 3, said: Currently, the amount of wastewater in the coal washing stage and the surface water overflowing from the warehouses has been collected by the Company into 2 settling tanks, not allowing it to overflow freely as before. The Company also attaches the responsibility and rights of employees to the emulation work and the results of completing the task.

Many technical innovations

Director Son's story took us back to Dong Trieu area, where the company has Nam Trang Bach coal warehouse and Hong Thai Tay port. Mr. Son said that currently, in addition to transporting coal by pipe conveyor, coal is still transported by truck. However, the unit absolutely does not drive coal trucks onto the national highway.

In Dong Trieu, there is currently a 10-lane riverside road project intersecting with the Company's operating area. The traffic volume of vehicles transporting earth and rock for embankment and mine waste in the area has therefore increased, sometimes up to more than 400 vehicles per day, causing considerable pressure on the control work to ensure no coal loss and environmental sanitation control. Meanwhile, at the port, the Company only has 20 vehicles, and at the warehouse there are 30 vehicles.

Therefore, the Company must maintain a force to control and clean the roads every day. In addition to the difficulties such as the increasingly long transportation route, depreciation is getting faster. Vehicles only about 3-5 years old have problems due to frequent running on the mine transportation route on steep, rugged, winding, and steep hillsides. In addition, there are difficulties due to the stagnant consumption during Covid-19 and the increase in input prices. In the post-Covid-19 period, projects requiring high-quality coal such as iron, steel, and cement are operating at a standstill, greatly affecting revenue. All costs of coal must be borne, increasing production costs.

We were present at Hong Thai Tay port in late August. Unlike other mines, the port area still retains its natural fresh air thanks to the closed, self-propelled conveyor system that transports coal from the Nam Trang Bach processing warehouse to the port, a 4.8km long system.

Coal loading onto ships at Hong Thai Tay port.

Mr. Do Van Binh, Manager of Hong Thai Tay wharf workshop, outlined the synchronized conveyor system that was put into operation in 2019. Previously, to transport coal from the mining sites of Company 91 and Company 397 (under Dong Bac Corporation) to the port, dozens of transport vehicles had to be mobilized, then covered and covered with tarpaulins to prevent the coal from falling onto the road. Despite all the efforts, it still could not prevent dust and pollution. Currently, the Company has invested in a coal transportation chain system with a capacity of 680,000 tons/hour; connecting directly from the processing warehouse to the port, helping to save a lot of costs, labor, and protect the environment.

Many other technical innovation initiatives of the Company have directly brought about production and business values. Thanks to that, coal output has gradually increased over the years. In 2024, although it has only passed half of the journey, the signal has been very positive. The Company received more than 2.2 million tons of coal, equal to 51.37% of the annual plan, and consumed nearly 2.2 million tons, equal to 54.26% of the annual plan. It is estimated that in 2024, the Company will reach an output of about 4 million tons. Salaries and incomes of cadres, civil servants, employees and workers are stable, with average income in 2023 increasing by 15.48% compared to 2021. In particular, in 2023, the Company has achieved high targets: Revenue reached 7,604.66 billion VND; profit reached 32,260 billion VND; budget contribution 52,238 billion VND; Average income reached nearly 20 million VND/person/month.

Scoop coal to mix into commercial coal.

After nearly 30 years of construction and development, the Company has been honored to receive the Third Class Fatherland Protection Medal, Second and Third Class Labor Medals, Certificates of Merit from the Government and many certificates of merit, certificates of merit, and emulation flags from the Army, the Corporation, and central and local ministries and departments. These are worthy rewards for the tireless efforts of the entire Company. I believe that they will achieve even more success in the future when looking into the determined eyes of each soldier and worker.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/tu-ben-cang-nay-than-di-muon-noi-3317434.html