Coast Guard officers find a fishing boat off the south-western coast carrying 50,000 litres of smuggled diesel on March 5. — Photo courtesy of VCG

MEKONG DELTA — The Coast Guard has seized 50,000 litres of contraband diesel from a fishing boat off the south-western coast.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Phan Nhân Hậu, head of the Đồng Nai Province-based Coast Guard Intelligence Division No 2, said his patrol teamin collaboration with Coast Guard Region No 3 Command spotted boat TG 91387 TS from the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tiền Giang on March 5, and officers boarded it and found the oil of unknown origin.

On board were its captain, Võ Văn Tiên, 37, of Cà Mau Province and four crew members.

Tiên failed to furnish documents to prove the origin of the oil, and none of the crew had the certification required to be a sailor.

The patrol team brought the boat ashore on March 7, and handed the case over to the Coast Guard Region No 3 Command in Vũng Tàu city for investigation. — VNS