Fishing boat found carrying 50,000 litres of smuggled diesel

Coast Guard Intelligence Division No. 2 officers found a fishing boat off the coast of Kiên Giang Province carrying 50,000 litres of smuggled diesel on December 2. — Photo courtesy of Việt Nam Coast Guard

KIÊN GIANG — The Việt Nam Coast Guard has seized 50,000 litres of contraband diesel from a wooden fishing boat off the coast of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Phan Nhân Hậu, head of the Đồng Nai Province-based Coast Guard Intelligence Division No. 2, on December 3 said the division 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.

At 7:30pm on December 2, the division’s patrol team discovered wooden fishing boat KG-94931-TS registered in Kiên Giang Province about 36 nautical miles southwest of Phú Quốc Island, and the officers boarded the boat and found oil of unknown origin.

On board were its captain, Trần Thanh Tuấn, 42, of Kiên Giang Province’s Rạch Giá city and four crew members.

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

Around 2:30pm on December 3, the patrol team brought the boat ashore, and handed the cases over to Squadron No. 422 under the Coast Guard Region No. 4 Command based on Phú Quốc Island for further investigation.

In late November, the coast guard forces also found two fishing boats off the coast of Kiên Giang Province carrying a total of 140,000 litres of smuggled diesel.

Coast Guard Intelligence Division No. 2 is tasked with monitoring the sea from Cù Lao Xanh in the central coastal province of Bình Định to Hà Tiên City in Kiên Giang Province, including the Trường Sa (Spratly) Archipelago.

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