Port to dump 4-million-m3 of earth in sea

The mud and sand will be dumped into a 100 ha sea region 15 km from Quy Nhon Port, 21 km away from Eo Gio and 12 km away from Cu Lao Xanh. The dumping location has been agreed upon by the Binh Dinh Province People’s Committee and the Maritime Project Management Board at the Ministry of Transport.

By having the mud and sand removed, the Quy Nhon Port will be able to receive vessels that weigh up to 70,000 tons. However, provincial authorities worry that the process to remove, transport and dump the mud and sand harbors pollution risks and could adversely affect aquaculture and tourism.

Therefore, the Maritime Project Management Board, as the main investor of the Quy Nhon Port renovation project, has been requested to study the project’s potential environmental impacts, as well as survey the biological environment at the dumping area to see how the project will affect marine life.

Binh Dinh also wants the board to evaluate the possibilities of pollutants being spread by the project, as well as potential solutions to reduce impacts to the aquaculture areas of the Hai Minh fishing village and tourism beaches in Quy Nhon City. The board must also provide compensation in the event the project causes any damage.

The Quy Nhon Port is now only able to receive vessels weighing up to 50,000 tons. The renovation project was approved by the transport ministry in 2021 with a budget of around VND700 billion ($29.7 million).