As one of the six fishermen who were rescued by Coast Guard Ship 2011, Nguyen Van Canh, born in 1974, from Vinh Loi ward, Rach Gia city, Kien Giang province, on a trawler numbered KG 93096 TS, still bears in mind the day he was saved by the coast guards.
    |
 |
|
Coast Guard Ship 2011 approaches distressed fishermen on trawler KG 93096 TS. |
At 5:30 on November 8, 2023, his trawler was carrying 3,000 tons of ice from Soc Trang province to Con Dao island district when it was flooded and in danger of sinking about 18 nautical miles Northwest off Con Dao. Receiving the information, Coast Guard Region 3 sent Ship 2011 to the scene for the rescue mission. At 7:18 the same day, the ship approached the distressed trawler and rescued five people and a child on board.
This was one of thousands of times that the coast guards have rescued fishermen at sea in recent years, saving the lives of thousands of fishermen and supporting hundreds of trawlers, thereby helping fishermen operate at sea to both develop economy and protect national sovereignty over sea and islands.
According to Lieutenant General Bui Quoc Oai, Political Commissar of the Vietnam Coast Guard, the “Coast Guards standing side by side with fishermen” program has been conducted since 2017 and is part of the mass mobilization work. Accordingly, it consisted of six main contents, namely disseminating information about the Party’s policies and guidelines and the State’s laws among people, especially fishermen; building the firm political system; helping people develop economy, society, culture, and reduce poverty, thereby building new-style rural areas; helping fishermen operate at sea, so as to firmly protect security and national sovereignty over sea and islands; and working with other forces to protect the national sovereignty over sea and islands.
So far, after nearly six years of implementation, the program has gained many outcomes, contributing to promoting patriotism and national pride, and public responsibility in law observance and protecting national sovereignty and security over sea and islands, and building the firm “people’s heart” posture at sea. These are main factors supporting the coast guard force in performing their assigned missions.
Translated by Minh Anh