The shipbuilding industry must be maintained, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said during a visit to the Song Cam Shipyard, a Vinashin subsidiary, in the northern city of Hai Phong.
“Developing the shipbuilding industry will help develop the national economy and strengthen the national defence and security,” he said.
The PM added that the government always remains focused on the maritime sectors, especially the shipbuilding industry.
“Shipbuilding companies, however, need to restructure their infrastructure and technology in order to better exploit the potential of the sector,” he pressed.
Dung also addressed the limitations and weaknesses of the industry.
“Wrongdoings found in the sector must be strictly handled,” he emphasized.
“We should not deny the achievements the shipbuilding industry has reached, or abandon it because of its limitations and wrongdoings; we must instead maintain the industry,” he said.
The loss-making Vinashin, fully known as the Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group, is considered the black sheep of the sector as it almost collapsed in 2010 after accumulating an enormous debt of over US$4.11 billion.
But Dung said the company is “actively restructuring.”