Consider installing two vessel tracking systems on each fishing vessel.
This was one of the options presented at the online meeting on the evening of December 30th of the Government on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing with ministries, agencies, and localities.
Attending the meeting via video link from Hanoi was Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha - Head of the National Steering Committee on IUU (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) Fishing, and representatives from various ministries and agencies; fisheries associations and businesses; providers of vessel tracking systems (VMS); and 22 coastal localities.
At the Nghe An location, Comrade Nguyen Van De - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - presided. Also attending were representatives from relevant departments, agencies, and localities.
Import data for 18,024 deregistered vessels.
In fulfilling the tasks assigned at previous meetings, the Standing Office also directed ministries, sectors, and localities to finalize progress reports on combating IUU fishing by December 24, 2024; ministries and sectors are to report updated data up to December 31, 2025. In addition, localities have entered data on 18,024 vessels whose registrations were deregistered since 2020 (as of December 28, 2025) for relevant agencies to access, inspect, control, and handle (if necessary).
No fishing vessels were seized by foreign countries this week. In 2024 and 2025, a total of 78 Vietnamese fishing vessels seized by foreign countries have been verified; to date, 60 vessels have been processed, accounting for 76.9%; the remaining 18 vessels are still under investigation by local authorities. Regarding fishing vessels losing VMS connection for more than 6 hours and exceeding 10 days at sea, or exceeding permitted fishing boundaries, 99.9% have been processed, with 3,938 vessels penalized, representing 18.6%.
In addition to the above results, the meeting also focused on urging progress in handling violations related to exported seafood shipments and cases showing signs of trade fraud; the management of the fishing fleet, monitoring and controlling fishing vessel operations at ports, and traceability.
For Nghe An province, during the week of December 20-26, in addition to continuing to maintain and complete all 19 tasks assigned by the Government, the number of fishing vessels was finalized at 2,632, an increase of 3 vessels compared to the previous week; during the week, several localities organized diverse and visually engaging awareness campaigns on combating IUU fishing.
Consider an option that allows each vessel to be equipped with 2 VMS devices.
Presiding over the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha commended localities that performed well and achieved concrete results; at the same time, he requested ministries, departments, and localities to clarify tasks and requirements that have not been met; and localities to report and clarify the reasons for closing cases and not imposing penalties for VMS signal loss incidents...
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister also noted that the upcoming report assessing the fight against IUU fishing and the report preparing for meetings with the European Commission (EC) need to clearly evaluate the roles and responsibilities of relevant agencies and their leaders; he requested provinces to review the fishing logistics fleets, as there are over 2,000 vessels nationwide, and to review fishing vessel logbooks and traceability to handle shipments of fish involved in commercial fraud or of unknown origin.
Taking into account feedback reports from ministries, departments, and localities, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that all fishing vessel data, including vessels whose registration has been revoked and those at risk of violating IUU fishing regulations, has been digitized, making it easier to monitor and manage vessels entering and leaving ports.
Regarding the handling of fishing vessels losing VMS connectivity, based on reports from localities, the Head of the National Steering Committee on combating IUU fishing requested VMS signal providers to provide further input and consider the option of installing two VMS devices on one fishing vessel as a backup in case of signal loss during fishing operations.
Attending the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, after hearing the Deputy Prime Minister's report, concluded by emphasizing once again that the task of combating IUU fishing is for the future of Vietnam's fisheries industry, not just to appease EC inspections, and therefore must be done genuinely. He demanded that the political system and relevant ministries and agencies truly participate, following the "six clear principles" to both combat illegal fishing and create livelihoods for the people. In the future, reports prepared for working with the EC must be clear, accurate, and meet international standards. Any obstacles, including legal ones, must be clearly stated, specifying the relevant agencies and ministries for advice and resolution; communication needs to be focused and targeted; and fisheries associations and businesses must resolutely refuse to purchase products of unknown origin.
