To prepare for an offshore fishing trip, fisherman Tran Manh Phuong - owner of the HT-90470-TS ship (Hai Ninh ward) checked the operation of two voyage monitoring devices (VMS) mounted on the ship.
Previously, the boat only used one device, but due to the signal being interrupted many times during fishing, Mr. Phuong decided to invest in a new set of devices to operate in parallel. Mr. Phuong shared: “If one device loses its network, the other still sends a stable signal. The cost of purchasing and subscribing has increased, but in return, I feel more secure when fishing in the open sea.”
Similarly, Mr. Duong Van Cuong - owner of the HT-90403-TS ship (Cam Trung commune) also spent more than 20 million VND to install an additional VMS. Mr. Cuong said: “The old VMS device has been installed for more than 5 years, often losing connection, making every sea trip potentially risky. When the signal is lost for too long, according to regulations, fishing vessels may be suspected of crossing the maritime boundary and must explain to the authorities. Installing the new device helps the signal to be much more stable, no need to worry about signal interruptions.”
Not only Mr. Phuong or Mr. Cuong, in recent times, many fishermen in Ha Tinh have proactively installed two VMS on each fishing boat at the same time. According to the fishermen, this solution increases the investment and periodic subscription costs, but in return, it helps them feel more secure when staying at sea for a long time, limits the risk of losing connection, and avoids situations where they are misunderstood as violating foreign waters.
Ha Tinh currently has 3,938 fishing vessels, of which 70 are 15m or longer - a group required to be equipped with and maintain VMS according to the 2017 Fisheries Law. VMS equipment plays a particularly important role, helping authorities monitor the location of fishing vessels in real time, issue warnings when vessels are at risk of exceeding the permitted maritime boundaries, and support emergency response when incidents occur at sea. This is also one of the key requirements to meet the recommendations of the European Commission (EC) on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing), aiming to remove the "yellow card" for Vietnamese seafood.
Thanks to continuous propaganda and guidance from relevant agencies, most fishermen in Ha Tinh have now become fully aware of the role of VMS in safety and legality in fishing activities. However, in reality, there are still cases of VMS losing connection during fishing. The main causes come from both objective and subjective factors. In remote sea areas, satellite signals are easily weakened or interrupted due to bad weather, thick clouds, and large waves. In addition, many VMS installed 4-6 years ago have degraded, reducing the ability to catch signals. Unstable power sources on fishing vessels when the engine is running also cause the device to turn off or transmit inaccurate data. These incidents not only cause difficulties for fishermen when they have to return to shore to explain, but also reduce the management effectiveness of authorities in monitoring and preventing IUU fishing.
Faced with this situation, many ship owners in Ha Tinh have proactively invested in installing two VMS devices in parallel. This method creates a backup mechanism, when one device fails or loses signal, the other still maintains connection, ensuring data is transmitted to the system continuously and accurately. According to statistics from the Ha Tinh Fisheries Department, up to now, the whole province has 20/70 fishing vessels installing two VMS devices at the same time.
Mr. Nguyen Trong Nhat - Deputy Head of the Ha Tinh Fisheries Sub-Department (Department of Agriculture and Environment) said: “The fact that fishermen proactively install VMS devices on fishing vessels is a positive signal, showing that awareness and sense of law compliance have been significantly raised. This is a practical solution to support State management agencies in monitoring and tracking fishing vessel journeys, early detection of risks of crossing the border and coordinating rescue when necessary. At the same time, this contributes significantly to the common efforts of the province and the whole country to prevent illegal fishing, towards the goal of soon removing the EC's "yellow card" for the Vietnamese fisheries industry".
"The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has also sent a document requesting the province to continue to consider and issue additional policies to support fishermen in replacing VMS for fishing vessels that meet the conditions specified in Decree No. 37/2024/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 26/2019/ND-CP dated March 8, 2019 of the Government detailing a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Fisheries," Mr. Nhat added.
However, installing two devices means that fishermen will have to bear a significant additional cost. Each new VMS device costs from 15 to 25 million VND, along with a monthly subscription fee. Therefore, many fishermen in Ha Tinh hope that the management agency will soon complete and implement a policy to support part of the cost, upgrade service quality to ensure stable signals, and minimize interruptions.
In addition, training and periodic maintenance instructions should also be widely deployed to help fishermen proactively overcome problems. Telecommunications companies continue to invest in upgrading satellite infrastructure, increasing coverage in remote fishing grounds, and improving technology so that VMS can operate more stably in harsh weather conditions, minimizing risks for fishermen.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/chong-khai-thac-iuu-ngu-dan-chap-nhan-doi-chi-phi-lap-vms-post292300.html
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