Posted on December 21, 2025
DNO – On December 20th, the Institute of Environmental, Marine and Island Sciences (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) organized a workshop to consult on professional knowledge, legal knowledge, and disseminate policies regarding dredging and disposal of dredged material at sea, aiming to raise public awareness in Da Nang.
According to the leaders of the Institute of Environmental, Marine and Island Sciences, in fulfilling the task assigned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment , the unit has implemented a project to investigate and assess the current status of dredged material disposal and identify areas where disposal is possible in the sea area from the average lowest tide level over many years out to sea for about 12 nautical miles (nearshore sea area).
This serves the management of Vietnam’s marine environmental resources, especially in the areas of licensing and allocating sea areas for dredged material disposal, establishing national marine spatial planning, and developing overall plans for the sustainable exploitation and use of coastal resources.
According to Dr. Nguyen Le Tuan, Director of the Institute of Environmental, Marine and Island Sciences , calculations show that the dredging needs in coastal areas nationwide are very high. Specifically, the northern coastal areas require approximately 42.63 million m³ of dredged material, the North Central and Central Coastal areas require about 14.7 million m³ , the Southeast coastal area requires about 14.95 million m³ , and the Southwest coastal area requires about 3.65 million m³ .
Following the implementation of the aforementioned project, the unit proposed that dredged material could be dumped in areas extending approximately 12 nautical miles offshore from the average lowest tide level over many years.
This is one of the bases that the licensing authorities use to decide on the disposal of dredged material at sea.
Dredged material from Tho Quang harbor ( Da Nang ) is being loaded onto barges. Photo: HOANG HIEP
According to MSc. Le Duc Dung, Director of the Institute of Environmental, Marine and Island Sciences, many legal documents regulating and guiding the dumping of dredged material at sea have been issued. In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment grants permits for dumping activities outside the sea area 6 nautical miles from the average low tide level of many years.
The provincial People’s Committee issues permits for dumping dredged material in the sea area from the average low tide level of many years to 6 nautical miles; and is responsible for publishing a list of areas for dumping dredged material on shore and dumping dredged material at sea.
Dredged material and the area to be used for disposal must be assessed and meet the prescribed criteria before a permit for dumping into the sea is issued.
“Based on current regulations, provincial People’s Committees should promptly announce the list of areas for dumping dredged material on shore and submerging dredged material at sea within their local jurisdiction to facilitate procedures and reduce the time required for granting dumping permits to organizations and individuals in need.”
“In addition, environmental monitoring and management of areas designated for the disposal of dredged material are crucial issues that need specific regulations and guidelines,” suggested Mr. Le Duc Dung, M.Sc.
A barge carrying dredged material from Tho Quang harbor is being moved out to sea to be sunk. Photo: HOANG HIEP
According to Mr. Hoang Nhat Thong, representative of the Legal Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), every year 12-15 maritime channels nationwide (out of a total of 36 maritime channels) are dredged and maintained. Some channels require dredging and maintenance multiple times, such as the channel leading to Hai Phong port (3 times/year) and the Dinh An channel (2 times/year).
As of November 30, 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment had issued 48 permits for seabed dumping with a total volume of nearly 100 million m³ of dredged material across a total sea area of 5,713 hectares allocated for dumping.
Locally, the People’s Committees of provinces and cities have issued 22 permits for sea dumping, with a total volume of nearly 11 million m³ of material dumped across a total sea area of 1,390 hectares.
Disposing of dredged material on land requires a very large area of land (coastal land is often scarce and expensive), high road transport costs, and the potential risk of salinization of groundwater or surrounding agricultural land. Therefore, submerging dredged material in designated sea areas is considered the optimal solution for quickly handling large volumes of material, reducing disposal costs, and preventing dredging projects from being stalled.
On the other hand, seabed sediment is part of a dynamic ecosystem, so dumping dredged material in the right place at sea helps retain sediment within the hydrodynamic system, contributing to minimizing coastal erosion caused by a shortage of natural sediment; at the same time, dredged material dumped in nearshore areas can utilize ocean waves to carry sand to replenish eroded beaches…
At the workshop, representatives from the Legal Department and the Institute of Environmental, Marine and Island Sciences provided information on several new regulations regarding the streamlining of administrative procedures in licensing the dumping of dredged material at sea; promoting and guiding community participation in monitoring and protecting the environment and ecosystem during dredging and dumping activities at sea; and providing technical guidance on managing and monitoring the environment and ecosystem in areas where dredged material may be dumped at sea.
