Several fishing boats lose internet connectivity, putting fishermen in distressed

Communication was disrupted between the sea and the coast

Many relatives of offshore fishermen from My Thanh commune (Phu My district) and Cat Khanh commune (Phu Cat district), Binh Dinh province, contacted Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper to express their concern about their family's fishing boats losing connection to the vessel monitoring system (VMS). Before setting sail, the boat owners and captains of the fishing boats diligently inspected their voyage monitoring systems, all of which were in proper working order.

Boat BD 94555 TS, owned by fisherman Dang Thanh Duoc from Vinh Loi hamlet, My Thanh commune (Phu My district), and several other fishing boats from the same region, along with a fleet of fishing boats belonging to fishermen from Cat Khanh commune (Phu Cat district), departed from De Gi fishing port (Phu Cat district) between April 8-12, 2024. All the previously stated boats had the identical problem of losing VMS signal quickly after departing only a few days ago.

The fishing boats from My Thanh commune (Phu My district) and Cat Khanh commune (Phu Cat district) that experienced a loss of signal were determined to have VMS devices installed by the VNPT network. The signal loss occurred simultaneously for all boats at 10:30 a.m. on April 15, 2024.

As to fisherman Dang Thanh Duoc, who owns the boat BD 94555 TS involved in seafood procurement in Vinh Loi hamlet, My Thanh commune (Phu My district), the monitoring system of his boat was functioning well before departing on April 12. Nevertheless, after they arrived at the Truong Sa fishing area and began their procurement operations, the boat unexpectedly lost communication.

As per the regulations of the Binh Dinh Fisheries Department, fishing boats are required to send a total of 16 messages in order to receive fuel assistance. Before setting sail, they must send 1 message to shore. Upon reaching the fishing grounds, they must send another 7 messages. After completing the fishing trip and heading back to shore to sell the products, they must send another 7 messages. Finally, upon reaching shore, they must send a final message. If any boat fails to adhere to these restrictions throughout the journey, the boat owner will lose the fuel assistance for that trip.

Attempting to reach Mrs. Kim Thi Thuy, wife of fisherman Dang Thanh Duoc, who has the vessel BD 94555 TS dedicated to the acquisition of seafood at sea, she conveyed to us the following information: "Since 10:30 a.m. on April 15th, I have not observed any indication of my husband's boat engaging in activities on the sea displayed on my mobile device. I attempted to contact my wife, but was unable due to the disconnection of the voyage monitoring equipment. I am concerned about the present condition of my husband's vessel, and whether or not there are any issues. Furthermore, a cause for greater concern is the uncertainty surrounding the provision of fuel support for this journey when the boat experiences a loss of connection".

Fishermen are concerned about not being eligible for fuel assistance

Mrs. Kim Thi Thuy said that on March 25, 2021, their family's fishing support vessel was engaged in offshore operations to get seafood. However, they encountered a loss of signal, which prevented them from transmitting signals to the land. Due to the signal loss, the authorities failed to acknowledge the cruise of Mrs. Thuy and her husband's fishing support boat, indicating that it was not recognized as being operational at sea. As a result, they no longer received a fuel subsidy of 100 million VND (for larger boats). Following an extensive inquiry spanning about 2 months, on July 22, 2021, the staff of the VNPT Business Center in Binh Dinh produced a certificate verifying the loss of signal for the fishing support boat registered as BD 94555 TS, which is owned by Mrs. Thuy and her husband.

"Due to the malfunctioning voyage monitoring equipment, our voyage in late March 2021 did not receive the necessary support. As a result, my husband and I had to borrow 100 million VND externally in order to cover the expenses for the new voyage.

The interest rate for these loans is excessively high, necessitating a monthly interest payment of 5 million VND for the 100 million VND loan. During that period, gasoline costs were quite inexpensive, around 20,000 VND per liter. Each journey undertaken by our boat required approximately 1,000 liters of fuel, resulting in a total expenditure of roughly 20 million VND. The cost of hiring two individuals as assistance to move seafood from fishermen's boats to our support boat is an additional 5 million VND per person each journey. The purchase of supplies, food, and ice for the purpose of preserving fish incurred an additional expense in the tens of millions",  Mrs. Kim Thi Thuy fondly recalled.

The Telecommunications Service Corporation - Enterprise Customer Service Department issued a notice on April 16, 2024, informing the Fisheries Department, Fisheries Information Center, and Fisheries Sub-departments of 28 coastal provinces nationwide about the disruption of VNPT-VSS boat management services.

The notice informs the relevant units that the VNPT-VSS boat management services have been disrupted due to the failure of the Thuraya 3 satellite on April 15, 2024, as announced by the technical department of the Telecommunications Service Corporation (VNPT VinaPhone).

Starting at 11:30 p.m. on April 15, 2024, the technical monitoring department has identified a connection loss issue caused by the failure of the Thuraya 3 satellite from our partner. This problem has impacted the whole VNPT-VSS boat management service. Thus yet, this matter remains unresolved. The Enterprise Customer Service Department of the Telecommunications Service Corporation is working closely with technical departments and Thuraya to resolve this problem.

Binh Dinh province leads in implementing the implementation of voyage monitoring technology for offshore fishing boats in the Central region. This initiative specifically targets boats that are 15 meters or longer, and Binh Dinh province has successfully installed this equipment on over 3,200 vessels. The majority of fishermen in Binh Dinh use voyage monitoring equipment provided by the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), with a small number opting for equipment from the Quy Nhon Maritime Information Station and other providers.