Kien Giang is determined to crack down on tactics that disrupt the VMS system on fishing vessels.

However, according to the Steering Committee on IUU in Kien Giang province, the loss of VMS connectivity on fishing vessels still occurs. The main reason is that individuals and organizations take advantage of the lack of control over VMS connectivity issues on fishing vessels at sea; the location coordinates of fishing vessels losing connectivity at sea have not been checked or verified. This is not to mention some units installing new VMS equipment on fishing vessels, then transferring information and images to update the system, and some VMS systems being replaced "periodically" after fishing vessels return to shore after completing their fishing operations due to "equipment needing repair after prolonged use"...

Cán bộ Phòng An ninh kinh tế Công an tỉnh Kiên Giang phối hợp các cơ quan chức năng kiểm tra VMS tàu cá vi phạm

Officers from the Economic Security Department of the Kien Giang Provincial Police, in coordination with other functional agencies, inspected a fishing vessel that violated VMS regulations.

Based on the above situation, the Investigation and Verification Team under the Steering Committee on IUU in Kien Giang province advised the Chairman of the People's Committee of Kien Giang province on several solutions to prevent fishing vessels from losing VMS connection signals and violating IUU fishing regulations. Specifically, the Kien Giang Provincial Police proactively coordinated with the Command of Coast Guard Region 4, the Border Guard Command, the Department of Information and Communications (now the Department of Science and Technology), and the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Kien Giang province to work with equipment suppliers, fishing vessel owners, and captains to clarify the causes of VMS connection signal loss and strictly handle violations according to the law.

Notably, on March 15th, the patrol team on board the CSB 2002 vessel of the Coast Guard Region 4 Command inspected the fishing vessel KG-95561-TS, captained by Mr. PTB, which was operating at sea when its VMS (Vehicle Monitoring System) lost connection. The Coast Guard Region 4 Command, in coordination with the Provincial Police and the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Kien Giang province, is investigating and verifying the case of the fishing vessel KG-95561-TS violating the law on VMS.
After determining there were signs of the crime of "Obstructing or disrupting the operation of computer networks, telecommunication networks, or electronic devices" as stipulated in Article 287 of the 2015 Penal Code (amended and supplemented in 2017), on March 24, the Command of Coast Guard Region 4 transferred the information about the crime to the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Kien Giang Provincial Police for investigation according to its jurisdiction.

Quang cảnh buổi làm việc với thuyền trưởng tàu cá mất tín hiệu kết nối VMS tại phường An Thới, thành phố Phú Quốc, tỉnh Kiên Giang

Scenes from a meeting with the captain of a fishing vessel that lost VMS connectivity in An Thoi ward, Phu Quoc city, Kien Giang province.

In the coming period, the Kien Giang Provincial Police will continue to strengthen inspections of the VMS system connectivity of fishing vessels to promptly detect, prevent, and handle violations related to VMS; resolutely handle individuals and organizations that violate VMS regulations, and assist in organizing the illegal exploitation of aquatic resources by fishing vessels from Kien Giang province and fishermen abroad.

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