Close monitoring from shore to sea.

As the locality with the largest fishing fleet in the province and a vast fishing ground, comprising 1,935 fishing vessels and over 10,900 workers, it has favorable conditions for developing the fisheries economy . However, this also creates considerable difficulties in managing and controlling fishing vessels in the area.

In response to this situation, the Phuoc Loc Border Guard Station (La Gi) assigned tasks to each officer and soldier to increase the frequency of patrols and closely monitor the sea entrance, promptly gathering complete information about fishing vessels in order to detect, prevent, and handle violations from the outset, ensuring that local fishermen's vessels do not violate foreign waters.

Amidst the bustling activity of ships entering and leaving the port area, officers and soldiers of the Border Guard Control Station are actively coordinating with the La Gi Fisheries Inspection Station to not only check the compliance of documents and procedures for vessels entering and leaving the port at the Fisheries Control Representative Office as required, but also to board each vessel to inspect and control the actual operating conditions; reminding captains to strictly comply with reporting requirements when entering and leaving the fishing port, recording and submitting logbooks and fishing reports as required; resolutely preventing vessels from departing without complete procedures, documents, and equipment, and severely punishing violations.

Lieutenant Colonel Ho Anh Tuan – Commander of Phuoc Loc Border Guard Station, said: Phuoc Loc Border Guard Station has assigned soldiers to man the shore-based vessel tracking system 24/7 to receive, process, and provide information on vessel tracking data to closely monitor the loss of VMS signals or warnings of crossing the boundary of Vietnam's waters during fishing operations. This allows for timely notification to vessel owners, enabling them to take corrective measures. Specifically, at 7:40 AM on February 13, 2023, through the vessel tracking device, one case was detected: fishing vessel BTh-99064-Ts, with a capacity of 500 horsepower (owned and captained by Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dung, residing in Ward 4, Phuoc Hoi), operating outside Vietnam's territorial waters. We promptly took action, using all means to contact the captain and force the fishing vessel BTh-99064-Ts to return to Vietnamese waters for fishing. As a result, by 2 PM on the same day, the fishing vessel was confirmed by the authorities to be within Vietnamese waters.

In addition to effectively monitoring the situation at sea, Phuoc Loc Border Guard Station proactively coordinates with relevant agencies and localities, deploying forces in each area to closely monitor and supervise high-risk fishing vessels that frequently move to fishing grounds, anchor, or depart from ports outside the province, in order to have a firm grasp of the operational situation of these fishing vessels.

With the decisive involvement of the entire political system, including the tireless efforts of each officer and soldier of the Phuoc Loc Border Guard Station, the situation of fishing vessels and fishermen from the town violating foreign waters has been gradually prevented and reduced. From September 2022 to the present, there have been no cases of fishing vessels or fishermen from the town violating foreign waters and being arrested or prosecuted.

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