HCMC – Sea patrol police in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau have detained a vessel registered in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang for allegedly transporting 60,000 liters of smuggled diesel oil.
The vessel was directed to a local port in the province’s Vung Tau City today, March 21, for further investigation, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
Sea patrol police detected this suspected vessel, whose registration number is TG 94456 TS, at sea some 150 nautical miles from southeastern Con Dao Island off Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province at 9:45 a.m. on March 19.
According to officials, the vessel’s captain was identified as Ha Tuan Minh, 50, a native of Kien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, and had a crew of five.
Minh said the 60,000 liters of diesel oil was purchased from another vessel, which did not have a registration number. He failed to show either invoices or other papers linked to the origin of the oil.
The crew members were also found to have no adequate certificates for working at sea.
