VietNamNet Bridge - A source told Tuoi Tre May 31 that in the last few days several ships, probably Chinese, harassed a Vietnamese vessel undertaking seismic exploration in Vietnamese waters.

 

From 7:15 am to 8:30 am on May 31 the Viking 2 was working at 8024'8'' N - 108052'5'' (Vietnam’s southern continental shelf) when two strange ships appeared. Though Viking 2 communicated to them in both Vietnamese and English, they did not reply.

 

The source said that the first ship was nearly eight nautical miles away but was sailing at more than 13 knots towards the Viking 2.

 

A Vietnamese naval vessel in the area, the Van Hoa 731, managed to prevent the strange ship from approaching too close.

 

The Van Hoa 731 took a photo of the ship which bears the words “FEI SHENG No. 16” on its body.

 

The second strange ship, which was eight nautical miles away from the Viking 2, was then spotted steaming at over 11 knots towards it.

 

Again, the Van Hoa 740 managed to head it off.

 

Only the phrase “BI 2549” appears on the second ship.

 

On May 29 another ship had tried to harass the Viking 2 by speeding into the area where it was conducting exploration.

 

It headed for the stern of the Viking 2 which then had to summon a naval vessel which hailed it, ordering it to change direction in both Vietnamese and English. Again the ship did not reply.

 

The Viking 2, chartered by PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (PTSC) from a French company, proceeded to call another naval vessel for help.

 

The strange ship then sped up from seven knots to 11 knots and stopped in front of the Viking 2, forcing it and the two naval ships to fire warning signals.

 

When the Viking 2 left the area, the harassing ship too left.

 

But at around 11pm the same day, the vessel was seen anchored six nautical miles southeast of the Viking 2’s location.

 

Its lights were shining too brightly, making it impossible to see its name or number.

 

PTSC’s general director Nguyen Hung Dung told Tuoi Tre that many Vietnamese exploration ships have recently been harassed in Vietnamese territorial waters.

 

Rouge Chinese fishing boats

 

Lieutenant colonel Hoang Ngoc Quynh of the Da Nang City border troop, who recently returned from a coast guard patrol, told Tuoi Tre about rogue Chinese boats.

 

“They persistently infringe on Vietnamese territorial waters, entering areas just 25-30 nautical miles from Da Nang. For example, in an area near Con Co Island, many large Chinese fishing vessels often come in groups, sometimes of up to 60.”

 

They prevented Vietnamese from fishing in their own seas, he said indignantly.

 

“If our ships pass close by, they are ready to harass us.”

 

He said he just chased them away “so as not to complicate the situation at sea.”

 

If they were obstinate, he would sometimes detain them but release them soon after.

 

So far this year, he had chased away hundreds of violating foreign ships. Between 15 and 26 April alone, he had chased away dozens of them.

 

Whenever they were chased away, they would drop obstacles in their wake, and if the Vietnamese naval ships were not nimble, their propellers would be badly damaged.

 

When he detained such ships and asked them to move to a certain place, they would pretend to have a breakdown and stay unmoving.

 

China illegally seized properties from Vietnamese ships

 

On May 31, boat captain Le Tuc, 44 of Quang Ngai province, told Tuoi Tre that Chinese ships on May 15 detained and seized all properties on board a Vietnamese fishing ship that hails from Ly Son district.

 

This means in May, there are four ships in total from Quang Ngai that have been detained and stripped of properties by foreign vessels.

 

Source: Tuoi Tre