HCMC – The Ministry of National Defense has proposed assigning a single authority to handle administrative sanctions related to the loss of vessel monitoring system (VMS) connections on fishing vessels, aiming to avoid overlapping enforcement and prolonged processing.
The proposal was presented at a hybrid meeting on March 27 with 22 coastal provinces and Tay Ninh Province, on measures to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested clarification and resolution of 11 issues raised by the European Commission (EC)’s IUU inspection team following its visit to Vietnam from March 10 to 19.
Reporting at the meeting, Phung Duc Tien, deputy minister of Agriculture and Environment, said the EC inspection team had provided preliminary assessments and recommendations across four areas.
On the legal framework, the team recommended adding penalties such as revocation of fishing licenses and confiscation of vessels for serious violations, classifying acts such as tampering with or removing VMS devices as serious violations, and applying maximum penalties for deterrence.
On monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS), the team recommended that all registered fishing vessels engaged in fishing activities comply with vessel marking and registration number requirements, including those docked and not operating.
On traceability, the team recommended strict control of harvested and imported seafood from ports to enterprises and export stages, especially containerized shipments, and inspections at enterprises to detect and handle the use of illegally sourced materials.
On enforcement, the team called for faster handling of violating vessels, prioritizing administrative sanctions for IUU-related acts, standardizing data on violations across ministries, sectors and localities, and establishing mechanisms to monitor and address delays in enforcement.
At the meeting, the ministry also proposed a comprehensive review and update of fishing vessel data to ensure accurate management and prevent cases from being left outside the system.
Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha instructed ministries, agencies and local authorities to continue implementing measures to address the issues raised by the EC inspection team, ensure full acknowledgment of the findings, and proactively review and supplement emerging issues in practice.
