Ensuring safety for people and fishing vessels at sea

(Baonghean) -Directive 06/2014/KT-UBND dated April 23, 2014 on strengthening the management of fishing vessels, ensuring safety for people and fishing vessels of Nghe An province operating in fishing activities in sea areas:

In recent years, the work of registration, inspection and management of fishing vessels has had many positive changes, the fishing fleet has developed in a modern direction, ensuring safe and effective offshore exploitation, contributing to the economic development of coastal areas.

However, many fishing boats at sea lack safety equipment, such as life buoys, signal lights, communication equipment... and have not been painted, marked, or registered, leading to a number of serious accidents, especially in offshore waters, affecting the lives and property of fishermen.

To overcome the above situation; strengthen the registration, inspection, and good management of individual establishments in building new fishing vessels and inspect and control to ensure safety for people and fishing vessels of Nghe An province operating at sea, especially offshore waters. The Provincial People's Committee requests the Directors of departments, heads of relevant sectors and branches, Chairmen of People's Committees of coastal districts and towns; organizations and individuals exploiting aquatic products and building new fishing vessels to implement the following contents:

1. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development:

a) Organize and inspect the management of fishing vessels, ensuring safety for people and fishing vessels of Nghe An province operating in fishing areas in the sea.

b) Direct the Sub-Department of Exploitation and Protection of Aquatic Resources to carry out the following contents:

- Strengthen propaganda, education and dissemination of knowledge on flood and storm prevention, professional skills to ensure safety at sea, regulations on signaling and warning when traveling and fishing at sea, especially at night. Provide fishermen with full information on communication frequencies and telephone numbers of agencies responsible for flood and storm prevention and search and rescue so that fishermen can contact when an incident occurs.

- Closely coordinate with the Border Guard force to control and resolutely not allow fishing boats to go to sea without enough life buoys, paint, license plates and safety equipment; require fishermen to be equipped with enough information equipment according to the regulations in the "Information for fishing boats operating at sea" Regulation (Circular No. 15/2011/TT-BNN dated March 29, 2011 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development).

Strengthen training on fishing vessel management, registration, inspection, licensing of fishing and technical requirements, technical supervision during the process of building new fishing vessels for officials of People's Committees of districts, towns, owners of new building and conversion facilities of fishing vessels that have been assigned by the Provincial People's Committee to manage the small-capacity fishing vessel block according to Decision 103/2007/QD-UBND dated September 11, 2007 of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

Gradually encourage fishermen not to use old and dilapidated boats (over 15 years old), boats with old engines to operate in far-off waters, and not to install engines of unknown origin.

Strengthen the management of technical safety of fishing vessels from the design approval stage; carry out steps to inspect and supervise technical safety according to the Regulations on inspection of fishing vessels issued together with Decision No. 96/2007/QD-BNN dated November 28, 2007 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; absolutely do not issue technical safety certificates to fishing vessels that do not ensure safety. Strictly manage facilities for building and converting fishing vessels.

- Evaluate, learn from experience and continue to deploy and replicate the model of Solidarity Groups for production at sea to support each other in production and when accidents and natural disasters occur. Monitor and count fishing vessel accidents, analyze causes, synthesize and report monthly, quarterly and yearly.

2. Border Guard Command: Strictly inspect and control boats at the mouth of the inlet, resolutely not allowing fishing boats to go to sea without registration, inspection, painted license plates, and without sufficient life buoys, communication information and safety equipment as prescribed.

3. Department of Finance: Advise the Provincial People's Committee on funding sources for the Department of Exploitation and Protection of Aquatic Resources to organize training, propaganda, inspection, control and handling of violating vehicles.

4. Department of Information and Communications, Nghe An Radio and Television Station, Nghe An Newspaper:

Coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and coastal localities to strengthen information and propaganda work on fishing vessel management, ensuring safety for people and fishing vessels of Nghe An province operating in fishing areas in the sea.

5. People's Committees of coastal districts and towns:

a) Conduct a review and inventory of fishing vessels and ascertain the number of fishing vessels that are banned from development (if any), newly built fishing vessels that are not approved by competent authorities according to the provisions of Circular No. 02/2006/TT-BTS dated March 20, 2006 of the Ministry of Fisheries (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) and Directive No. 54/2008/CT-BNN dated April 21, 2008 of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

b) Assess, determine the cause, clarify the responsibility for allowing the development of banned fishing vessels and propose solutions to completely handle this phenomenon.

c) Review, compile statistics, and update the number of small fishing vessels reported to the Department of Exploitation and Protection of Aquatic Resources periodically on the 10th of each month for monitoring and management.

6. Ship owners, new building and conversion facilities for fishing vessels:

a) Strictly implement the registration and inspection of fishing vessels, fully equip safety equipment and devices according to the provisions of Circular No. 02/2006/TT-BTS dated July 13, 2007 of the Minister of Fisheries (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development).

b) Paint, line, and attach license plates according to regulations. Do not build new fishing vessels with a capacity of less than 30 horsepower (CV) for all occupations, and under 90CV for trawling.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for urging implementation, monitoring and reporting to the Provincial People's Committee on implementation.

Requesting directors of departments, heads of relevant provincial-level sectors and branches; Chairmen of People's Committees of coastal districts and towns to seriously implement this Directive.