Dead fish found at central Quảng Trị Province’s beaches. Photo thanhnien.vnViet Nam News HÀ TĨNH — Authorities in the central province of Hà Tĩnh have denied the rumour which claimed that fish on a local coast were found dead as a result of the Formosa spill. Phan Duy Vĩnh, deputy chairman of the province’s Kỳ Anh Town, told the Hà Tĩnh newspaper that the dead fish were washed ashore after being discarded by a fishing boat. The town is home to the Hưng Nghiệp Formosa Steel Plant, whose toxic spill killed fish en mass in the ocean bordering four central provinces of Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên- Huế in April 2016. Vĩnh said the quantity of dead fish was just some 3kg. He suspected the fish to have died after being discarded by the fishermen or due to blast fishing, in which fishermen use dynamite to kill fish. Trần Xuân … [Read more...] about Dead fish not Formosa: authorities
Formosa
Hoa Phat Group not afraid to compete with Formosa
One of the leading Vietnamese private steel makers, Hoa Phat Group put down concerns over competition with Taiwanese Formosa project as well as the recent US tariff threats on steel and aluminum imports. Hoa Phat’s annual general shareholders’ meeting on March 23, 2018 Tran Tuan Duong, general director of Hoa Phat Group, told the corporation’s annual general shareholders’ meeting on March 23, 2018 that the upcoming Hoa Phat Dung Quat steel complex is not inferior to Formosa’s and will not lose the competition. “The investment rate of Dung Quat project is only one third of Formosa,” he added. For 2018, the group set the priority to carry out Hoa Phat Dung Quat steel complex on schedule. Located in Dung Quat Economic Zone, the project has a capacity of four million tonnes per year and a total investment capital exceeding VND50 trillion ($2.2 billion). It is expected that the project will be completed by the end … [Read more...] about Hoa Phat Group not afraid to compete with Formosa
JFE eyes Formosa steel mill
JFE eyes Formosa steel millHung Le By Hung Le - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC – After announcing to abandon its involvement in the Guang Lian steel project in Quang Ngai Province, Japan’s JFE Steel may return to Vietnam to invest in a huge steel project under construction in Ha Tinh Province. According to Nikkei newspaper, the Japanese company is considering joining a huge steelworks invested by Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Group at Vung Ang Economic Zone in the north-central province of Ha Tinh. JFE plans to acquire a 10% stake at the steelworks and if so, its investment might be higher than 100 billion yen, or US$863 million. Formosa Plastic Group set up Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Limited Company to develop the massive steel project using over 2,000 hectares of land and over 1,200 hectares of water surface. The project’s pledged capital is around US$20 billion. The Taiwanese company started work on the project in 2012. After completion, the project will be … [Read more...] about JFE eyes Formosa steel mill
Post-Formosa, coastal residents switch to inland farming
VietNamNet Bridge – Nearly two years after the 2016 Formosa toxic spill, fishermen in the coastal province of Quang Tri are slowly returning to the sea or finding alternative livelihoods.Having spent all his life on the water, Nguyen Trung, a middle-aged fisherman of Hai Khê Commune in Hai Lang District, had never thought that the only life he knew would be taken away. The en masse fish deaths caused by the Formosa steel plant in April 2016 upended his family’s life overnight. From a reasonably well-off family in the area, they struggled to make ends meet in the following ten months. Fortunately, by the end of 2016, through the district Farmer’s Union and Women Union, Trung was able to get a preferential loan of VND60 million (US$2640) from the Quang Tri Province Bank for Social Policies (BSP) to repair his boat, buy new fishing tools and start over again. “Offshore fishing has picked up some positive signs recently. The industry is … [Read more...] about Post-Formosa, coastal residents switch to inland farming
Support period extended for recovery after Formosa marine incident
The Decision No. 2124/QÐ-TTg aims at amending and supplementing a number of contents under the PM’s previous Decision No. 12/QÐ-TTg dated January 6, 2017 to compensate and support production recovery and ensure social security for people affected by marine environmental incidents in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces. The new document modifies the effective period of medical insurance support for households’ members that are listed on the list of having suffered damage according to the marine environmental incident approved by district People's Committees. Accordingly, instead of supporting up to two years from January 1, 2017 to the end of December 2018, Decision 2124 stipulates that the support period for medical insurance extends to a maximum of 24 months from the date of purchased insurance cards, but not beyond December 31, 2019. Decision 2124 also amends the regulation on support for education and vocational training for individuals … [Read more...] about Support period extended for recovery after Formosa marine incident
Company stopped from burning Formosa contaminated fish
Authorities in central Hà Tĩnh Province on December 20 stopped the illegal burning of frozen contaminated fish by a local company. Fish harvested in the ocean after Formosa toxic spill contaminated with toxins. — Photo cafef.vnEnvironmental police in the province demanded that Kỳ Anh District’s urban environment company halt its burning of 49 tonnes of stale fish, saying the company is authorised to only carry out daily waste treatment.Late on Tuesday afternoon, locals in the district found trucks managed by the company carrying the fish, which were collected from the local ocean following the Formosa toxic spill in April last year and stored at local freezing warehouses.Police checked the site while the company was conducting the trial burning of a small quantity of fish in a kiln used to burn daily waste.Nguyễn Minh Diễn, head of the district’s natural resources and environment division, said the company’s operation was banned last … [Read more...] about Company stopped from burning Formosa contaminated fish
Formosa to pour additional $250 million into Vietnam factory
The investment aims to replenish Formosa Ha Tinh Steel’s operating capital, which plans to raise $500 million in the second instalment of its on-going capital injection project, according to Taipei Times.Four of the group’s members are Formosa Plastics Corp, Nan Ya Plastics Corp., Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp., and Formosa Petrochemical Corp.—each holding an 11.43 per cent stake in the Vietnamese unit.Each company is to pay about $57.17 million in the second instalment, in accordance with their shareholdings. Meanwhile, Formosa Taffeta Co., the group’s textile affiliate which holds a 3.85 per cent stake, also plans to invest $19.23 million in Formosa Ha Tinh Steel.At the moment, the investments are awaiting approval from the board of directors of each company.In May this year, the first blast furnace of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel came into operation with an annual capacity of 3.5 million tonnes. The second one is expected to become operational in March 2018, … [Read more...] about Formosa to pour additional $250 million into Vietnam factory
Construction Ministry allows Formosa to sell fly ash
Construction Ministry allows Formosa to sell fly ash The Saigon Times Daily HCMC – The Building Materials Department under the Ministry of Construction has permitted the Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co Ltd (FHS) to sell fly ash to building material producers. Fly ash is a kind of solid waste discharged from thermal power, fertilizer, chemical and steel plants. It can be used to produce cement and high-strength concrete. According to the department, fly ash from Formosa thermal power plant is a kind of building material as it meets national standards. Therefore, the company is allowed to sell it to fly ash traders. The Construction Ministry also told Formosa to ensure that the transport of fly ash meets the environmental protection regulations. The Government encourages businesses to use fly ash for cement and concrete production because burying a large amount of fly ash will cause environmental hazard, according to Tien Phong online newspaper. However, fly ash is rarely used … [Read more...] about Construction Ministry allows Formosa to sell fly ash
Formosa fined for improper hazardous waste treatment
VietNamNet Bridge – Two companies involved in an illegal case of hazardous waste landfill in central Ha Tinh Province have been fined a total VND1 billion or US $45,000.The province People’s Committee on Saturday fined Taiwanese Hung Nghiep Formosa Steel Plant and a local contractor involved in the waste treatment of the plant.The committee said Formosa was fined VND560 million for transferring the treatment of its hazardous waste to an unqualified company. Meanwhile, Ky Anh District’s urban environment company was fined VND450 million for polluting the environment by undertaking landfill of untreated industrial hazardous waste.Earlier in July last year, local residents discovered waste from Formosa being transported to a forestry plantation of the district environment company’s director for landfill. Following checks at the site, authorities found many packs of muddy waste taken from Formosa’s waste reservoir in holes at the plantation.In related news, … [Read more...] about Formosa fined for improper hazardous waste treatment
Vietnam fines Formosa for messing up waste burial
The Taiwanese steel plant responsible for Vietnam’s worst environmental disaster has been fined VND560 million ($24,640) for its illegal burial of toxic waste that was busted last year. Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh, a steel production unit of the Taiwan-based Formosa Plastics Group, was punished for failing to separate toxic waste for the burial and hiring an authorized local company to do the job. The company was also fined VND450 million for directly burying the waste. The burial of around 100 tons of waste from Formosa at a local farmland was busted in July 2016. The waste was put into a hole of around 300 square meters (3,200 square feet) and one meter (3.3 feet) deep. The environment ministry found the industrial waste contained excessive levels of cyanide. Police in the central province of Ha Tinh launched criminal probe into organizations and individuals in August 2016. But eventually there was no criminal prosecution. Several local officials have been … [Read more...] about Vietnam fines Formosa for messing up waste burial