Coast Guard officers inspect a fishing boat transporting diesel oil of unknown origin off the coast of Cà Mau Province on January 18. — Photos courtesy of the Việt Nam Coast Guard

MEKONG DELTA — The Việt Nam Coast Guard’s Intelligence Division No. 2 has seized 50,000 litres of diesel oil of unknown origin and 100 cubic metres of illegally transported sand during a series of patrols and inspections.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Phan Nhân Hậu, Political Commissar of the Đồng Nai Province-based Coast Guard Intelligence Division No. 2, said on January 19 that the division has stepped up efforts to combat crime in the lead-up to the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, focusing on drug prevention, human trafficking, smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods.

At 7:15am on January 18, the division’s patrol team discovered wooden fishing boat TG-92469-TS registered in Đồng Tháp about 27 nautical miles off the coast of Cà Mau Province.

Officers boarded the boat and found 50,000 litres of diesel oil of unknown origin.

On board were its captain, Lê Hoàng Huy, and three crew member. Huy failed to furnish documents to prove the origin of the oil.

In the afternoon of January 19, the patrol team brought the boat ashore, and handed the case over to Squadron No. 422 under the Coast Guard Region No. 4 Command based in An Giang Province’s Phú Quốc Island for further investigation.

Officers from Coast Guard Intelligence Division No. 2 and the Đồng Tháp Border Guard Command inspect a vessel suspected of illegal sand transport in the inland waters of Đồng Tháp Province on January 17.

Around 9:45am on January 17, the Intelligence Division No. 2, in coordination with the Đồng Tháp Province Border Guard Command, inspected a steel-hulled vessel without registration number in the inland waters of the Mekong Delta province of Đồng Tháp.

They found the vessel carrying around 100 cubic metres of saline-contaminated sand.

On board were its captain, Trần Văn Viên, and three crew members. Viên failed to furnish documents proving the origin of the sand, and none of the crew had the certification required to be a sailor.

In the afternoon of the same day, the inspection team brought the vessel ashore and handed the case over to Kiểng Phước Border Guard Station under the Đồng Tháp Border Guard Command for further investigation.

Illegal sand mining remains a major concern in riverine provinces, causing erosion and environmental damage and endangering public safety. — VNS