Residents and tourists on Phu Quy Island are facing a supply cutoff for whole pigs and cows due to the lack of ships to deliver them from the mainland to the island. Meanwhile, representatives of the shipping company said that meeting all regulations to transport pigs and cows is extremely difficult, so they temporarily stopped...

High prices, tourists on Phu Quy island lack "hot beef"

According to a person who specializes in selling "hot beef" (whole raw beef processed and sold on the same day) on the island, the lack of ships carrying this product to the island has caused many difficulties, even cutting off the supply at times.

This person said that he used to buy cows from the mainland, hire the Quan Trung ship to transport them to the island at a cost of nearly 1 million VND/head to process for tourists and locals. On average, he imported nearly 100 cows to the island each month.

"But for nearly 2 months, I have not been able to import because there are no ships to transport them. Some people have agreed to hire other ships to transport them to the island for about 2.5 million VND/head. This forces them to raise the selling price to compensate, greatly affecting tourists and islanders," a beef trader on Phu Quy Island (who asked to remain anonymous) said indignantly.

In fact, the price of live pigs on the island has increased by about 80,000 VND/kg compared to the time when the cargo ships normally arrive, to 200,000 - 220,000 VND/kg. Similarly, the price of beef has also increased by about 100,000 VND/kg, to more than 400,000 VND/kg. However, this price shows no sign of stopping if pigs and cows are still not imported to the island.

According to this person, beef is not only an essential food for the people but also a specialty for tourists when they come to Phu Quy Island. "Tourists coming here will almost always choose to add "hot beef" to enjoy, instead of seafood . Due to the lack of supply, travel companies have to remove "hot beef" from the menu," this person said.

According to our investigation, the ships stopped carrying these goods because they did not comply with regulations and functions. The main transport route to transport goods from the mainland to Phu Quy Island, including two ships, Quan Trung and Quan Trung 2, departing from Phan Thiet transport port. The high-speed ships transporting people and tourists to and from the island carry very little goods. The fishing logistics service ships transporting goods to the island cannot carry livestock or poultry.

It is against the law to transport live livestock and poultry!

Speaking to Tuoi Tre, representatives of the two Quan Trung cargo ships said that the function of the ship is to carry general cargo. For decades, in addition to essential necessities (static cargo) arranged in the hold, the ship has kept live pigs and cows on deck. Since the port authority requested compliance, the ship no longer carries pigs and cows.

Explaining the reason for not converting it according to regulations, this person said that this is not the ship's main cargo. "Meanwhile, if we convert it, the cost will increase greatly, additional procedures will be required while the freight cannot be increased, so it is not economically feasible, so we are carefully reconsidering this," this person said.

Meanwhile, speaking with us, Mr. Do Van Thuan - Deputy Director of the Maritime Port Authority of Binh Thuan Province - explained that the cargo ships from the mainland to Phu Quy Island that the unit manages are not qualified to transport livestock. Specifically, the unit only manages and supervises two cargo ships, Quan Trung and Quan Trung 2, which transport goods from Phan Thiet port to Phu Quy Island.

According to regulations, both ships are not capable and qualified to carry live cattle. To carry this type of cargo, the ships must register for conversion, add more pens and waste collection systems, and only after the inspection department approves will they be eligible for licensing consideration. However, Mr. Thuan admitted that the conversion will increase costs, not to mention complicated procedures.

"The requirement that ships not carry live livestock and poultry is in accordance with regulations, ensuring maritime safety is paramount, and does not prohibit anyone," said Mr. Thuan, suggesting that ship owners should go to the regular inspection date and simultaneously convert to a smaller scale to be able to carry livestock to serve the needs of the island.