Japan-funded composite tuna fishing boat launched in central Vietnam
Japan-funded composite tuna fishing boat launched in central Vietnam
A fishing boat made of composite materials and designed to hunt for ocean tuna was launched Monday at a shipyard in the coastal city of Nha Trang in central Khanh Hoa Province.
The VND6 billion (US$282,406) ship is the first of nearly 200 of its kind to be built under a project sponsored by Japan-based Yanmar Co, aiming at sustainably developing ocean tuna fishing in Vietnam and increasing the income of local fishermen.
The “VIJAS Research & Training Vessel” has a 350 horsepower engine and is equipped with Japanese fishing tools and tuna catching and preservation technologies, Yukio Kikuchi, the director of Yanmar’s Vietnamese project, said at the launching ceremony at the Institute for Ship Research and Development in Nha Trang.
The composite boat will undergo a technology upgrade to be able to make its first offshore journey to hunt for tuna in September, the Japanese director added.
Yanmar plans to cooperate with partners to invest in 180 composite fishing boats in three central Vietnamese coastal provinces, including Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa.
The Japanese firm will set up joint stock fishing companies where local fishermen can hold up to a 100 percent stake of the composite vessels built under the program.
Yanmar will also support fishermen by buying their tuna and exporting them to Japan.
The company has targeted to export some 4,500 tons of tuna caught off Vietnam’s coast to Japan every year starting in 2015.
Composite boats are emerging as a smart choice for Vietnamese fishermen, who say the vessels are more expensive than traditional wooden ships, but worth the money as they are more durable, effective and fuel efficient.
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