Over 1,000 old ships are waiting to reduced to scrap iron in the port of Haiphong, posing a great environmental threat to the surrounding area.
The Green Viship is being dismantled
Green Viship, built in 1986 in Japan and registered in Mongolia, changed ownership several times, including one company named Dai Huy, who began the dismantling process, finally ending up in the hands of Manh Thang Company, who continued to disassemble the vessel. This was in violation of a Vietnamese law stating that second-hand equipment and vehicles should not be imported for demolition.
On January 28, Manh Thang Company asked permission from authorities to continue breaking down the ship. "When we bought the ship we did not realise that the cargo was worthless, so we began to sell spare parts from the ship itself," the company stated.
The case has been referred to the Environmental Police Department, under the Ministry of Public Security.
Another used ship, the Hufa Star 01, has also been illegally dismantled.
These ships are actually considered industrial waste under the law, and dismantling them may pose threats to the environment. Most ports in the other countries have also banned such vessels from entering because of environmental and safety risks.
Nguyen Cong Dat, Head of Dai Huy Company who specialise in the ship demolition, said that all ships over 15 years-old are banned from import.
Currently, there are about 1,035 old ships that fall under this category, from countries such as Mongolia, Panama, that have been purchased by various Vietnamese companies, that are sitting in the port of Haiphong.
Dat said his company bought the ship for VND14 billion (USD671,000), incurring a monthly loss of VND300-500 million. Environmental laws of other nations would force them to take a loss if they resold the ship.
From January 29, Haiphong police and border guards will carry out an inspection of the old ships in Haiphong Port and deal with enterprises who are illegally dismantling them.