Shipbuilding industry: New opportunities, new opportunities

The civil shipbuilding industry has always been determined to be an indispensable position for the economy. But, in the past years, the whole industry has been in crisis due to the sharp decline in demand for sea transport in the world as well as in the country. However, with relentless efforts, Vietnamese shipbuilding companies have been gradually streamlining the apparatus and restructuring their products in the direction of seeking market models that need to be determined to stick to the head. with profession.

On the occasion of the spring of Ky Hoi, the reporter of Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Magazine had a meeting with Mr. Hoang Hung, Vice Chairman - Secretary General of Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry and Technology Association (VISIA) on these issues. difficulties and opportunities of shipbuilding in the new era.

PV: Sir, can you tell us about the role and position of our boats in the history of thousands of years of building a country when it has not formed a ship industry like today?

Mr. Hoang Hung: Our country before the 19th century, traffic from North to South with a length of more than 3600 Km of coastline and intertwined with inland river systems, we mainly use boats as the main means to go. re, trade as well as protect the land. How many generations of our ancestors have the history of the foreign invasion victories in which the role of ships is very important, typical as in 938, Ngo Quyen was named "King of kings" who used ships The boat of the enemy forces on the river mouth made a victory over the Nam Han army in Bach Dang battle. Then in 1288, Hung Dao Dai Vuong still used the old design of Ngo Quyen and remained on Bach Dang River with small warships for example and defeated 400 large enemy ships from the North to cross the sea.

In Vietnam, we used to have only motorized boats that were not onshore. Until the end of the 18th century until now with the appearance of other means of transport such as cars, trains, equipment, engines ... imported by the West, new boats were equipped with machines like days now on.

PV: From those glorious history, can you tell readers more about the history of the current ship industry?

Mr. Hoang Hung: Vietnam's shipbuilding industry is clearly formed about fifty years ago. From the generation of steam ships of French and Chinese bosses, it is not long before the monopoly of ships is the famous Vietnamese bourgeois, Bach Thai Buoi. In addition to running trains throughout the country, in 1917, Bach Thai Buoi used to build ships to 600T with a capacity of 450 horsepower at Cam Hai Phong Door. It is also today one of the major shipbuilding centers of Vietnam. With many large and modern ship-building and repairing factories, big ships with a capacity of 53,000T and 56,000T are nearly a hundred times bigger than the ones that Bach Thai Buoi has built and launched. and many special types of ships with special and modern features of international standards to serve domestic and export demands.

Having such a mature step, it must mention the correct policies and strategies of the Party and the State during the past time, especially from the 5th Party Congress so far. Over nearly 50 years of development and growth, Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry has really become a national key industry with a system of large and small shipyards from the North to the South, the associated factories. joint with foreign countries. Together with a team of nearly 50,000 employees, employees become an important human resource and technical equipment of the country.

This is shown as follows: Transportation industry, with many years of domestic and ocean shipping fleet has high growth. Defense industry, with a fleet of high-tech features to work ready to fight and protect national security. The fisheries industry, with a fleet of fishing vessels near and far away on both a long, wide coast and has great economic potential. Oil and gas industry, with a system of exploration and exploitation rigs, crude oil tankers, gas carriers, service ships. In addition, in many localities and other economic sectors, the shipbuilding industry is also highly developed and occupies an important position.

There was a period when the shipbuilding industry was identified as one of the key economic sectors, with the effect of leading the ship to accompany other satellite support industries to develop, so it was focused on investment. depth and expansion of production contribute significantly to the industrialization and modernization of the country.

PV: Sir, after nearly 10 years of the recession, Vietnamese shipyards need to focus on which factors, how to revive the operation, find out "light at the end of the tunnel" to have Foreign investors' attraction?

Mr. Hoang Hung: As we know at the time of 2010 and earlier, Vinashin is very developed, the market share of shipbuilding accounts for 70% of Vietnam. With such a key role, after stumbling for many reasons and at the same time as the near-global economic crisis, the international and domestic shipbuilding market greatly reduced, resulting in no jobs and reduced to 14,000 employees. This heavily affected the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry, which forced the State to restructure the industry.

However, in the same time, the shipbuilding facilities of the defense, joint ventures, non-state enterprises and fisheries ... have dynamic directions suitable to the market, so there has been good development. These include shipbuilding in the defense industry. After five years of implementing Resolution 06-NQTW of the Politburo XI Session "Building and developing the Defense Industry to 2020 and the following years", with a system of modernly equipped factories and It is possible to build specialized vessels of small size but with high economic value and technical features. And foreign joint-venture units continue to build ships for export by international orders. In the Fisheries sector, with Decree 67 of the Government, many large-capacity fishing boats were built offshore. The large factories of Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (SBIC) have signed a direct contract with some customers to repair and build new ones. This is also the "Light at the end of the tunnel".

 The sea and the oceans still remain, the demand for transport remains, people who have ever built Vietnamese branded ocean-going ships that match the high-level countries of shipbuilding technology still and re-trained to upgrade management as well as skills ... With all that, "the end of the tunnel" will be bright for Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry. This inevitability is reflected in the determination from the Ministry of Politics, the Government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to the whole industry. The peak is the Resolution of the 8 th Central Committee of the 12th Congress, on October 22, 2018 of the Central Committee, which is: "The sustainable development strategy of Vietnam's marine economy by 2030 vision to 2045".

The Resolution stated: Continuing to restructure state-owned enterprises in marine economic sectors, ensuring management capacity, production and business efficiency, competitiveness. In it, about shipbuilding: "Reasonable development of repair and shipbuilding industries". Implementing this policy, then the shipbuilding forces in the ministries will have specific steps to recover and develop.

PV: In 2018, VISIA has had many programs to connect with foreign enterprises and organizations to look for opportunities in both markets and learn about new technologies for members. Could you please tell us more about the next development orientation in 2019 of the Association?

Mr. Hoang Hung: As a specialized Science and Technology Association for Shipbuilding Industry. Over the years, as well as in 2019 and the following years, the contribution to the industry is mainly in the field of Science and engineering through topics, seminars, training for member units. Besides the expansion of cooperation with foreign specialized organizations to enlist to learn, update new achievements in science and technology while our shipbuilding industry has not yet recovered, no thing Lawsuit applied but not outdated to the world.

The Association also consulted on the Government's programs and projects on general planning through the assigned tasks of Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

To prepare human resources, the Association has a number of cooperation programs with the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, France, China ... to train students at domestic universities with specialized shipbuilding. with knowledge and software on advanced shipbuilding management and design. This work is aimed at the immediate future of working for foreign countries to keep forces and be ready to serve when the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry recovers.

In addition, the Association also cooperates to create ODA capital with specialized programs for units under the Association that need to develop production.

Reporter: Thank you for sharing on!

Dong Nghi (implemented)