Dinh Van Chung, deputy director of Hoa Phat-Dung Quat JSC on April 3, said the company is following necessary procedures to start the dredging of 6 million cubic meters of sand and mud in the second quarter of the year.

Of this, 2 million cubic meters will be used for backfilling and leveling at its projects, while the remaining would be submerged in the ocean.

Confirming demand, Nguyen Minh Tai, head of the Dung Quat Open Economic Zone, said enterprises need to dredge about 27 million cubic meters of salty sand and sludge at the Dung Quat Port.

Of this, 15.3 million cubic meters of sludge will be from the dredging of the specialized port of Hoa Phat-Dung Quat Steel. Three other enterprises are awaiting permission to dredge the general port (6 million cubic meters), Hao Hung Port (4 million) and the second phase of the Dung Quat Oil Refinery expansion project (1.67 million).

Like all other projects of this kind, MONRE’s decision to sink sludge into the sea has stirred controversy and protests.

A representative of Hoa Phat-Dung Quat complained that the local authorities caused difficulties in implementation.

But local authorities have denied this, saying that no one can block the implementation of the plan as it has a license from MONRE. However, Ha Thi Anh Thu, Party Committee Secretary of Binh Son district, said the local authorities need to ‘reflect the people’s concerns’ about the bad impact of the project.

Thu said when Hoa Phat carried out a small dredging project in October 2018, It caused a mass death of caged fish. As a result, provincial authorities had to spend VND8 billion to compensate for farmers’ losses.

Hoa Phat Company also spent VND500 million, which showed that the company was aware of its responsibility about the fish deaths.

Oceanography expert Tran Van Sam warned that the dredging and submerging of sludge at Hoa Phat Port on a large area of 180 hectares would affect marine species. Millions of cubic meters of materials to be submerged would bear the impact of sea waves and ocean currents.

Concern has also been raised about the effects of the project on Ly Son-Sa Huynh Geopark, which may become an UNESCO recognized global geopark in the future. However, foreign experts stressed that Quang Ngai authorities need to pay attention to the protection of environment in the geopark, at least in 81 places belonging to tourism routes.

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