A fishing boat off the coast of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province was found carrying 30,000 litres of smuggled diesel on December 11. — Photo courtesy of Việt Nam Coast Guard

BÀ RỊA - VŨNG TÀU — The Việt Nam Coast Guard has seized 40,000 litres of contraband diesel from fishing boats off the coast of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Khánh Hoà provinces.

The Coast Guard Region No. 3 Command on December 13 said it is focusing on its fight against crime, including drug prevention, human trafficking, smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the last months of the year ahead of the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The unit, in collaboration with Squadron 3 Anti-smuggling Investigation Department under the General Department of Việt Nam Customs, discovered the fishing boat TG 92267 TS registered in Tiền Giang Province about 65 nautical miles southwest of Côn Đảo Island in the southern coastal province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu at 9:45am on December 11.

The officers boarded the boat and found about 30,000 litres of oil of unknown origin.

On board were its captain, Đoàn Quốc Điểm, 37, of Đắk Lắk Province and two crew members.

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

In the morning of December 13, the boat was brought ashore, and handed over to Squadron 301 of the Coast Guard Region No. 3 Command for further investigation.

On December 3, the unit collaborated with border guards of Bình Ba Border Post and Khánh Hòa Province to find a fishing boat about 15 nautical miles east of Bình Ba Island carrying a total of 10,000 litres of smuggled diesel of unknown origin.

On board were its captain, Nguyễn Thanh, 55, and two crew members. Thanh failed to furnish documents to prove the origin of the oil.

The Coast Guard Region No. 3 Command under the Việt Nam Coast Guard is tasked with managing the sea from the coastal south-central province of Bình Định to the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Trà Vinh, including the waters of Trường Sa (Spratly) Islands and DK1 rigs.

The unit has completed its task of protecting the nation's sovereignty and enforcing the law at sea over the past years.

It is also assigned to directly detect and combat violations of law, such as national security crimes, smuggling, and trade fraud at sea. — VNS