The patrol team of Coast Guard Intelligence Division No 2 found a fishing boat off the coast of Kiên Giang Province carrying 55,000 litres of smuggled diesel on November 21. — Photo courtesy of VCG

KIÊN GIANG — The Coast Guard has seized 55,000 litres of contraband diesel from a fishing boat off the coast of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Phan Nhân Hậu, head of the Đồng Nai Province-based Coast Guard Intelligence Division No 2, said on November 22 that his patrol team discovered the boat KG-93815-TS registered in Kiên Giang Province about 25 nautical miles to the east of Nam Du Archipelago at around 12:50 on November 21.

Officers boarded the boat and found oil of unknown origin.

On board were its captain, Dương Văn Năng, of Kiên Giang, and four crew members.

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

At around 9:30am on November 22, the patrol team brought the boat ashore, and handed the case over to Squadron No 422 under the Coast Guard Region No 4 Command, which is based on Phú Quốc Island, for further investigation. — VNS