Coast guards from the northern port city of Hai Phong said on April 2 that they have captured a Chinese vessel that violated Vietnam’s waters sovereignty.

Coast guards capture the Chinese vessel for illegally entering Vietnam's waters (Photo provided by Hai Phong Coastguard)

The ship Qiong Yangpu coded 13056 carrying three Chinese sailors and 100,000 litres of oil without clear origin was illegally entering the territory of Vietnamese island Bach Long Vi on March 31.

It was spotted and seized by Hai Phong coast guards at the latitude of 19 degrees 44 minutes North and the longitude 107 degrees 20 minutes East, 12 nautical miles from the marine delineation line in the Tonkin Gulf to the north-west of Vietnam’s Bach Long Vi island.

The captain of the vessel admitted that the oil was to sell to other Chinese boats which are illegally fishing in Vietnam’s waters.

Coastguards on April 1 handed over the Chinese vessel and its crewmembers to the Hai Phong drug-crime prevention department for further investigation.

VNA