Ba Ria - Vung Tau: Preventing departures of 'three-no' fishing vessels

Active engagement from all local stakeholders

Local authorities and relevant agencies in Ba Ria - Vung Tau are currently fully focused on efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Accordingly, the province is making an active effort to implement the European Commission's (EC) recommendations as well as prevent its fishing vessels and fishermen from infringing on foreign waters. Furthermore, Ba Ria - Vung Tau aims to completely prevent the export of illegal seafood products.

However, the province is facing significant challenges as the deadline approaches. Consequently, the Provincial People's Committee has provided regular instructions to relevant departments and agencies with the aim of prioritizing and allocating all available resources to addressing existing issues and implementing urgent solutions.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial People's Committee recently established an interdisciplinary team to inspect the enforcement of IUU fishing regulations at fishing ports, representative offices, and seafood businesses. The province's fisheries surveillance and maritime law enforcement agencies also received instructions to enhance their patrol efforts at sea. With the assistance of the vessel monitoring systems, these measures have effectively reduced boundary violations in fishing activities.

To date, Ba Ria - Vung Tau houses 1,140 unregistered, uninspected, and unmonitored ("3 no") fishing vessels and 605 vessels that are not qualified for departure due to missing documentation. Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, has prohibited these vessels from departing until they meet all requirements. Vessel owners have also received instructions to remove fishing gear from their vehicles.

The province's Sub-Department of Fisheries, in coordination with local authorities, has conducted a review and issued temporary registration numbers to facilitate the management process. The Sub-Department is also actively assisting fishermen in completing the necessary documents: food safety certificates, technical safety certifications for fishing vessels, fishing licenses, and vessel registration certificates to expedite their return to sea.

Vessels that lose their VMS connection for more than six hours will be subject to infractions that will be handled by the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. However, several fishermen have voiced their dissatisfaction, claiming that they frequently lose satellite service during their travel. This issue has been attributed to service providers; however, fishermen are solely responsible for the penalties.

Pham Thi Na, Deputy Director of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, noted that vessels that lose their VMS connection due to force majeure causes such as satellite signal loss or electrical failure are not subject to penalties.

"We will summon the service providers for discussions to resolve this issue. If they are unable to fully address the problem, these providers will face penalties in accordance with regulations," Deputy Director Na stated.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau committed to reclaiming the IUU 'green card'

The local authorities of the coastal regions in Ba Ria - Vung Tau are increasing their control over high-risk fishing vessels with the aim of promptly preventing violations in foreign waters. Accordingly, local enforcement agencies have enhanced their monitoring efforts and imposed strict barriers on the verification, certification, and traceability of caught seafood. As a result, Ba Ria - Vung Tau saw no fishing vessels violating foreign waters since August 2022.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial People's Committee has instructed the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to act on the findings of the Ministry's inspection team and address the challenges in managing and resolving the issue of fishing vessels losing VMS connection at sea.

According to Deputy Director Pham Thi Na, vessels that lose signal for six hours or continuously for over 10 days will be classified as high-risk and referred to law enforcement agencies for monitoring.

“Local authorities, in coordination with relevant departments and agencies, must directly manage vessels that failed to meet the requirements for departure. We will strictly monitor and enforce regulations with a zero-tolerance policy and no exceptions,” Deputy Director Na emphasized.

Colonel Tran Ngoc Tang, Deputy Commander of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Border Guard Command, stated that the local border guard forces are implementing a three-layer system to combat IUU fishing activities. The first layer involves performing inspections at border posts and stations; the second reinforces control at key checkpoints and access points; and the final layer is a patrol fleet conducting continuous patrols at sea.

“The provincial border guard is committed to denying clearance for vessels that fail to provide the necessary documentation. We are also utilizing all professional measures to uncover networks that send Vietnamese fishing vessels, particularly those from Ba Ria - Vung Tau, to foreign waters for illegal fishing activities,” highlighted Colonel Tran Ngoc Tang.

The Provincial Police Investigation Agency in Ba Ria - Vung Tau recently launched criminal proceedings and executed arrest warrants for four individuals involved in the removal, shipment, and receipt of six vessel monitoring systems in an attempt to “mislead” authorities and enable vessels to engage in illegal fishing activities in restricted waters. This decisive action serves as a deterrent to individuals that seek to profit at the expense of the nation's interests and international reputation.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau has deregistered 379 fishing vessels from the national fisheries database due to disrepair, scrapping, dismantling, or because they were sunk or destroyed by fire since August 5, 2023. The total number of fishing vessels in the province now stands at 4,345, with 2,623 operating in offshore waters.

Among the vessels operating offshore, 2,557 have installed vessel monitoring systems, reaching a compliance rate of 97.48%. The remaining 66 vessels are docked due to damage, pending liquidation, sale, or are missing.

The province currently houses 605 offshore vessels that are not qualified for fishing operations. These vessels are either missing, sunken, damaged, in disrepair, sold within or outside the province, docked, or awaiting new licenses.