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Accelerating the registration and licensing of fishing vessels

According to the Ninh Binh Provincial Portal, the Ninh Binh People’s Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 338/UBND-VP3 on October 30, 2025, urging the acceleration of fishing vessel registration and fishing license issuance to strictly implement the directives of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. The goal is to focus on the effective implementation of the Peak Month for Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing.

Interdisciplinary forces conduct patrols, inspections, and public awareness campaigns to guide fishermen in complying with regulations on fishing activities. (Photo: Ninh Binh Provincial Portal)

Accordingly, the People’s Committee has requested that relevant departments and agencies, as well as the People’s Committees of communes and wards with fishing vessels, implement the following key measures based on their respective functions and responsibilities:

First, focus on reviewing and assisting local residents in completing procedures for vessel registration and obtaining fishing licenses. Authorities should review and record unregistered vessels and those without fishing licenses, and provide guidance and support to vessel owners wishing to register and obtain licenses to participate legally in fishing activities in accordance with the Fisheries Law. At the same time, all vessel data must be accurately updated in the National Fisheries Database (VNFishbase) and synchronized with the National Population Database (VNeID). Vessel owners, captains, and crew members must be guided to register and authenticate their electronic identification accounts (VNeID) to ensure data consistency between population information and vessel data.

Second, strictly control vessels that do not meet registration and licensing requirements. Local authorities must remove unqualified vessels from weekly reports submitted to the National Steering Committee for Combating IUU Fishing. Lists of such vessels must be compiled to closely monitor their positions, ensure no fishing gear is stored onboard, and prohibit them from engaging in fishing activities. If necessary, enforcement measures should be taken to bring these vessels ashore, and the lists should be publicly announced through mass media so that the public can assist in monitoring compliance.

Strictly handling violations and strengthening monitoring through VMS

According to VTV Times, the Ninh Binh Department of Agriculture and Environment reported that from January 1, 2024, to October 26, 2025, provincial authorities handled 680 cases of IUU fishing violations. Specifically, 389 cases involved violations of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) regulations both inside and outside the province, 7 cases involved exceeding permitted fishing boundaries at sea, and 284 cases were related to fishing and aquatic resource protection violations.

Officers and soldiers of Squadron 2 under the Ninh Binh Provincial Border Guard, in coordination with the Sub-Department of Fisheries and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, conduct awareness campaigns on IUU fishing for fishermen in coastal border areas. (Photo: Thuy Dung/VNA)

According to the Ninh Binh Department of Agriculture and Environment, relevant provincial authorities regularly compile lists of fishing vessels at high risk of violating IUU fishing regulations, report them to the Directorate of Fisheries and the Fisheries Surveillance Agency, and upload the information to the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS).

As of October 31, Ninh Binh province had 22 fishing vessels identified as being at high risk of committing IUU violations. At present, all of these vessels are docked and not engaged in any fishing activities, and are under close supervision and management by local commune officials.

Discussing the province’s efforts in monitoring and inspecting fishing vessel operations through the VMS system, Tran Anh Dung, Vice Chairman of the Ninh Binh Provincial People’s Committee, stated that functional forces have maintained round-the-clock monitoring operations.

The vessel monitoring system is used to track and supervise fishing activities, ensuring that 100% of the province’s fishing vessels maintain VMS connectivity throughout their fishing trips, from departure to return to port.

Every day, authorities identify vessels that have lost VMS connection for less than six hours or are operating near the boundary of authorized fishing zones. They promptly notify, contact, and directly meet with vessel owners to provide encouragement, guidance, and protection of fishermen’s lawful fishing rights.

At the same time, vessel owners are reminded not to disable VMS devices or cross into unauthorized foreign waters. Functional forces also contact and remind vessels that have lost VMS connection while docked to ensure they do not engage in fishing activities.

According to Ninh Binh provincial leaders, authorities regularly compile lists of local fishing vessels that violate VMS connectivity regulations, such as losing connection for more than six hours at sea without reporting their position, remaining disconnected for over ten days without returning to port, or crossing permitted boundaries at sea. These lists are sent to the VMS Verification Team and relevant agencies for verification and handling in accordance with the law.

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