Police deliver leaflets on waterway transport safety to residents in Tuyên Quang Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Cường

HÀ NỘI — An overall inspection of illegal inland waterway ports is planned for next month until the end of this year, said the Việt Nam Inland Waterways Administration (VIWA).

The VIWA has submitted the plan to the Ministry of Transport for approval.

The general inspection of ports and inland waterway wharves on national and local waterways aims to assess the current status of the ports and waterway anchorage systems, especially the ones without licences, which might be unsafe.

The inspection results will serve as a basis for implementing solutions to tighten port and wharf management.

Statistics of the VIWA showed that by the end of last year, the country had 310 ports including 202 cargo ones, 11 passenger ones and 97 specialised ones, of which 274 were on the national waterways and 36 ones on local ways.

The total number of wharves nationwide is 6,062 including 3,114 on national routes and 1,667 on local routes, of which 1,271 operate without licences (959 on national routes and 315 on local routes).

The number of unlicensed ports and wharves is still increasing because localities have adjusted their inland waterway planning, so many wharves can no longer have their licences renewed.

In addition, lots of localities have not established and approved waterway traffic development plans, or the plans are not consistent with reality, causing difficulties for businesses and individuals wishing to open waterway ports.

The wharves without official licences and those whose paperwork has lapsed, are mixed up with those already have working licences, causing inequality in trading activities.

Watercraft entering and leaving illegal ports are not inspected, controlled and charged fees like vehicles at licensed ports. This is also a potential cause of traffic unsafety.

Therefore, the solution proposed and recommended by the VIWA is to introduce a new decree to replace Decree No 08 issued in 2021 regulating inland waterway management.

In the new decree, provincial People's Committees will supervise and close ports, wharves and anchorage areas that are not legally allowed to operate. — VNS