Combating IUU fishing: More vessels in Gia Lai install backup tracking devices

A growing number of fishing boat owners in the central province of Gia Lai (now covering the former south central coastal province of Binh Dinh) are installing additional vessel monitoring systems (VMS) to avoid disruptions in signal connectivity, which could hinder offshore fishing operations and risk administrative penalties.

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In line with national efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to address the EU’s “yellow card” warning, 100% of fishing vessels in the province over 15 meters in length are now equipped with VMS devices.

A border guard officer in Gia Lai inspects the vessel monitoring system before allowing a fishing boat to depart.

However, unstable performance of these tracking devices – often due to storms, poor weather, or onboard electrical issues – continues to pose challenges.

Fisherman Vo Xuan Toan, owner of vessel BD 96875 TS, explained that under current regulations, boats that lose signal for more than six hours are subject to administrative penalties. "To prove the outage was beyond our control, we must go through the cumbersome process of obtaining verification from the service provider," he said. "During that time, we’re unable to fish and the vessel must stay docked."

Though such disruptions are not frequent, the risk is enough to prompt many boat owners to absorb the extra cost of installing a secondary tracking unit from a different provider as a safeguard.

Fisherman Huynh Ngoc Qua, owner of vessel BD 93473 TS, said he initially installed a VMS device from VNPT, but later added a VIFISH.18 unit as a backup. "If one signal fails, the other keeps us covered."

Vo Van Thach, captain of BD 95353 TS, shared a similar experience of once being fined for signal loss after returning from sea. Since then, he said he installed a second device to feel more secure when heading out.

According to Dao Xuan Thien, Director of the Binh Dinh fishing port authority, dual installations are not mandated by law, but many vessel owners in Gia Lai are voluntarily adopting this practice. The potential financial loss from a disrupted trip due to VMS failure can be significant, he noted.

From the beginning of the year, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment reported 37 instances of vessels being flagged for crossing maritime boundaries and 679 cases involving 291 vessels losing VMS signal during operations at sea.

Source: VNA