In photos: Supply vessel doubles as ‘the market amidst the East Vietnam Sea’
Sunday, August 24, 2014, 16:11 GMT+7
Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters recently accompanied a supply ship, dubbed “the market amidst the East Vietnam Sea,” on its voyage to provide necessities and also news from the mainland for fishermen fishing in Vietnamese waters.
On a typical working day, fishing supply boat TTH 95527, run by Captain Tran Chien, departed from Thuan An Fish Port in Thua Thien-Hue Province, located in central Vietnam.
After around ten hours, the boat arrived at the fisheries at the entrance to the Gulf of Tonkin in the East Vietnam Sea, where some hundred boats were fishing.
Captain Chien skillfully maneuvered his boat near each fishing boat and supplied them with vegetables, chicken, fresh water, fuel as well as news from the mainland.
As soon as the fishing boats collected their catches, the supply vessel was called in to purchase them.
After one day and one night circling the area, the supply boat managed to buy more than seven metric tons of fish from the fishing boats.
At 3:00 am the following morning, despite the brewing thunderstorm, Captain Chien headed his boat toward where fishing boat BD93160 was docking.
The fishing boat sold its entire catch of 7.7 metric tons of fish to Captain Chien.
With his boat now loaded with more than 15 metric tons of fish, which his crew kept fresh with ice and salt water, he set out for the sea off central Da Nang City.
Traders were already waiting at the city’s Tho Quang Fish Port for Captain Chien’s boat.
When the boat docked, the fish were briskly categorized and transferred to freezing trucks which headed for wholesale seafood markets in Ho Chi Minh City.
Captain Chien’s supply boat TTH 95527 is loaded with more than 300 ice slabs before setting sail.
A 16-year-old boy (first right) in charge of cooking on fishing boat QB 91754 buys vegetables, meat, and instant noodles from Captain Chien’s supply ship.
Before setting out for a day’s work, the crew of Captain Chien’s supply boat performs a worshiping ritual in the hope of good buys and sells.
A crew member on Captain Chien’s supply ship preserves vegetables and chicken in ice boxes to keep them fresh before selling them to fishing boats.
Captain Chien’s supply boat also helps fishing boats pull in their catches.
Fresh catches are purchased and moved to Captain Chien’s supply boat right after they are caught.
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