The police in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province have initiated criminal proceedings against 19 fishing vessels in Phuoc Tinh commune, Long Dien district for removing their Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) devices and sending them to the Binh Thuan-registered vessel with the number BTh-89576-TS.
Deputy Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau Nguyen Cong Vinh praised the cooperation among maritime law enforcement, the Provincial Border Guard Command, the provincial police, various departments, and localities in implementing IUU prevention measures in recent times.
Authorities have uncovered and transferred six cases to the Ba Ria – Vung Tau provincial police for investigation and handling. To date, the Provincial Police’s Security Investigation Agency has decided to prosecute two criminal cases.
On May 27, the provincial Police Investigation Agency decided to prosecute a criminal case for obstructing or disrupting the operation of computer networks, telecommunications networks, and electronic devices involving the 19 fishing vessels in Phuoc Tinh commune, Long Dien district, which had removed their VMS devices and sent them to the Binh Thuan-registered vessel BTh-89576-TS.
This incident was detected by authorities on April 19, when the BTh-89576-TS vessel was in the waters of Con Dao. 19 VMS devices from 19 fishing vessels in Phuoc Tinh had been removed.
The Ba Ria – Vung Tau provincial police have also directed the Security Investigation Agency to handle two out of six cases showing signs of criminal law violations according to regulations. The first involves cases related to the verification of the origin of seafood materials at the Fisheries Enterprise Mechanical Shipyard.
The second case involves four fishing vessels with numbers BV-97057-TS, BV-97978-TS, BV-97607-TS, and BV-95705-TS, which had removed and stored their VMS devices while engaging in unregulated fishing. For the other two cases involving the vessels BV-90150-TS and BV-90628-TS violating fishing regulations, and the vessels BV-92380-TS, BV-92381-TS, and BV-94640-TS unauthorized removal of VMS devices, the provincial police will consolidate records and documents for strict legal action.
Alongside urging the provincial police to continue investigating and handling the mentioned cases in accordance with regulations, the People’s Committee of Ba Ria – Vung Tau has requested relevant agencies to rigorously and fully implement directives from central and provincial authorities on combating IUU violations. They emphasize strict and decisive handling of IUU-related cases swiftly and effectively, ensuring that no crimes go unpunished and the right individuals are held accountable.
VFM
