Four years after the dock inside Quang Ngai-based Sa Huynh port was opened to fishing vessels, nearly 40 ships have been completely destroyed at the venue that cost VND44 billion to build.

Ships arrive at the docking area for shelter during storms, but fishermen say the place is a “vessel trap.”

Tran Thi Phu of Pho Thanh Commune recalled the terrifying accident in February 2011 her husband and 10 other fishermen managed to survive.

“My husband set off at around 12pm, and when he was still fairly close to the port, a strong wave suddenly came and threw his ship into the dikes,” Phu said.

The ship broke into pieces but the fishermen onboard managed to survive.

Quang Ngai Province sunk VND40 billion into building the docking place located in Duc Pho District.

Forty such accidents have occurred since the opening of the dock in September 2009, according to Nguyen Duy Trinh, deputy chairman of Pho Thanh commune.

Many other docks set up along the central coast of Vietnam intended to provide accommodation and shelter for fishing vessels during storms have become nothing but a sheer terror for fishermen.

Nguyen Van Set, owner of a fishing boat which frequents the My A docking area in Quang Ngai, said there is an “undersea trap” at the venue that has broken dozens of ships into pieces upon arrival.

The “trap” is in fact a set of hidden rocks that can destroy ships unknowingly passing by.