On April 15, 2024, in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien chaired a live and virtual conference titled “Vietnam’s 10 Years of Coast Guard Accompanying Fishermen, Enforcing the Law, Protecting Marine Resources, Combating IUU Fishing for a Green and Sustainable Fisheries Industry”.
ENHANCING INSPECTION AND PUNISHMENT OF VIOLATING FISHING VESSELS
At the conference, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, Director of the Coast Guard Department, reported that the Vietnam Coast Guard was officially launched in Da Nang on April 15, 2014. After 10 years of operation, the coast guard apparatus at the central and local levels has been established and consolidated.
Currently, 24 out of 28 coastal provinces and cities nationwide have established coast guard organizations. The coast guard has affirmed its position and effectively fulfilled its role, functions, and duties in enforcing fisheries laws in maritime areas, combating IUU fishing, supporting fishermen, and protecting marine resources.
“Since 2017, in conjunction with the fight against IUU fishing, the coast guard has increased the number of patrol ships, focusing on controlling violations in fisheries exploitation; cooperating with other forces to prevent fishing vessels and fishermen from violating foreign maritime zones; observing and expelling foreign fishing vessels violating Vietnamese maritime zones, especially fishing vessels in the Bac Bo Gulf and Southwest regions,” Mr. Hung emphasized.
Mr. Duong Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Coast Guard Department, said that over the past 10 years, the coast guard has conducted more than 400 patrol missions; observed and detected more than 65,000 vessels (of which foreign fishing vessels accounted for over 1,000) with signs of violations. As a result, more than 11,000 vessels have been penalized or referred to competent authorities for administrative sanctions; many foreign ships have been warned, expelled, and released from Vietnamese waters.
The coast guard has also closely monitored and managed fishing vessels operating at sea through the journey monitoring system, gradually reducing IUU fishing violations. In addition, the coast guard has assisted, rescued, and assisted hundreds of distressed fishing vessels, saving thousands of fishermen at sea. Notably, the coast guard has promptly deployed to the field, coordinating with other forces to disseminate information, and protect Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty and enforce the law at sea.
From October 1, 2023, to March 30, 2024, the treatment of fishing vessels of 24 meters or more in length violating the loss of VMS connection and exceeding the allowable boundary at sea achieved some positive results.
Specifically, 115 fishing vessels that had lost connection for more than 10 days at sea were detected and notified, a decrease of 327 vessels compared to the time of the 4th inspection (442 vessels). Of these, 13 vessels were penalized with a total fine of VND 2,758,500,000; 48 vessels were verified and found to have insufficient grounds for punishment; and 54 vessels are still being verified. Additionally, 2,200 fishing vessels that had lost connection for more than 6 hours at sea were detected and notified.
Regarding the organization of the implementation of regulations on the traceability of exploited aquatic products, Mr. Cuong said that the regulations on monitoring the output of aquatic products unloaded through ports, including private fishing ports and wharves, have been strictly implemented in accordance with the Prime Minister’s directive.
In particular, the focus is on vessels of 15 meters or more in length, species such as yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, swordfish, and fishing vessels providing logistic services for aquatic resource exploitation. All data on the traceability of exploited aquatic products has been continuously updated on a Googlesheet, to facilitate the monitoring of the EC inspection delegation.
“The electronic traceability system for aquatic products (eCDT) is currently being piloted since January 2024: accounts have been granted to 79,747 fishing vessels, 147 fishing ports, 172 border guard stations, 28 provincial departments of agriculture and rural development, and 89 processing plants and enterprises.”
Mr. Duong Van Cuong, Deputy Director of the Coast Guard Department.
The Agreement on Port State Measures has been effectively implemented at 14 designated seaports for foreign vessels to enter port: From October 2023 to March 15, 2024, 394 consignments/8,995 tons of 15 species of imported exploited aquatic products have been certified. Currently, no feedback or concerns have been received regarding the certified consignments. In addition, localities are still investigating and handling the “swordfish laundering” case as recommended by the EC during the 4th inspection.
Regarding international cooperation, to date, the Vietnam Coast Guard has signed agreements with countries such as China, the Philippines, and Brunei; and is negotiating to sign agreements and establish hotlines with Thailand, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
ACCELERATING THE COMPLETION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT TO DEVELOP THE COAST GUARD FORCE
In addition to the achievements, Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, Director of the Coast Guard Department, also pointed out existing shortcomings and limitations, such as the coast guard force being newly established and built, and lacking uniformity from the central to local levels; limited infrastructure, material and technical logistics for the coast guard’s activities (especially local coast guards).
Meanwhile, the coast guard’s information system infrastructure does not meet the requirements for command and operation. Financial resources allocated for coast guard objectives, tasks, combating IUU fishing, and protecting and developing aquatic resources do not meet the demand. Fishing vessels and fishermen still violate foreign waters; and management of fishing vessels, especially control of the output of exploited aquatic products unloaded, has not met the requirements.
“One of the current difficulties for the central and local coast guard forces is that although they operate and patrol the sea day and night, facing very difficult and harsh conditions, the policies and regulations are still limited and cannot ensure stable lives. Therefore, the Government needs to pay attention to and develop appropriate policies and regulations so that the coast guard workforce can work with peace of mind and successfully fulfill all assigned political tasks,” Mr. Hung suggested.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien affirmed: “The coast guard plays a very important role, along with other forces such as the navy, marine police, border guards, and others, in creating a safe legal environment for fishermen to exploit, ensuring that the output of aquatic products accounts for 46-48% of the total output of aquatic products, contributing significantly to the export value of aquatic products. Moreover, the coast guard and other forces have also made important contributions to firmly protecting the territorial sovereignty and national sovereignty of the Fatherland.
“Vietnam is the third largest seafood exporting country in the world. Vietnamese seafood is currently present in over 170 countries and territories. To integrate deeply, implement, and promote new trade agreements, we need to remove the yellow card.”
Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
According to Deputy Minister Ph
