The captains of two fishing boats in the central province of Quang Ngai have been fined for taking their vehicles to fish in the waters of other countries without permission from authorised agencies.

Under a decision announced by the High Command of the province’s Border Guard on December 4, captain Duong Tan Dong of the vessel QNg 92044 and captain Tieu Viet Thuan of vessel QNg 90181 will have to pay a total fine of VND120 million (US$5,700) for this act.

Earlier on October 22, the two fishing ships with 28 fishermen on board registered to catch seafood in the waters of Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago. However, Dong and Thuan steered their vessels towards the waters of other countries for fishing and were seized by their competent agencies.

The two boats returned to Vietnam on November 19.

In a bid to raise the awareness of local officials and people on the issue, also on December 4, the provincial Department of Justice held a training conference on sea-related legal documents such as the 1982 United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the Law of the Sea of Vietnam.

VNA/VNN