Officials reported significant progress in handling violations of vessel tracking system connectivity at a citywide conference yesterday to review the inspection, verification, and enforcement results concerning fishing vessels that lost Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) connectivity between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2025, chaired by Nguyen Toan Thang, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment.
According to the department’s report, authorities recorded 1,827 cases of vessels either losing VMS signals or showing signs of crossing designated fishing boundaries during the period. Among them, 17 vessels were confirmed to have crossed fishing boundaries. Another 81 vessels lost VMS connectivity for more than 10 consecutive days without returning to shore, while 1,729 vessels experienced signal disruptions lasting from more than six hours to fewer than 10 days while operating at sea.
In accordance with Prime Minister's Directive No. 03/CD-TTg dated January 13, 2026, and Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Document No. 628 on reviewing, processing, and closing files on violations against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has identified 830 fishing vessels that have lost their vessel tracking connections in 18 communes, wards, and Con Dao Special Zone as needing to be reviewed and processed.
Of these, 7 localities having a high number of vessels that have lost their tracking connections are Long Hai, Phuoc Hai, Vung Tau, Tam Thang, Phuoc Thang, Rach Dua, and Binh Chau.
As of February 5, 2026, the units have processed 230 out of 830 vessels, achieving 27.7 percent. Following this, the task forces will continue to monitor the areas and accelerate the process. By February 11, 2026, the review, verification, and handling of cases had been completed in 16 communes and wards, including Binh Chau, Tam Thang, Phuoc Thang, Rach Dua, Long Son, Binh Gia, Xuyen Moc, Chau Duc, Phu My, Hoa Hoi, Con Dao, An Lac, Hanh Thong, Vuon Lai, Binh Dong, and Dien Hong.
In three major fishing hubs Long Hai, Phuoc Hai, and Vung Tau, the sheer volume of vessels losing tracking connectivity has kept inspection teams on the ground. Task forces remain deployed, pressing ahead with verification and enforcement to meet the requirements of upcoming reviews by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the European Commission’s inspection mission.
To date, the overall processing rate has reached approximately 80 percent. The remaining vessels are mainly due to objective reasons, such as the vessel owners or captains operating at sea and not yet returning to shore, or the vessels docking at fishing ports outside the city.
According to Pham Thi Na, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment, although the processing progress was sometimes slower than required by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, the results achieved are the result of the great efforts of each member of the team handling the connection issues, along with the coordination and cooperation of the leaders of the units and localities.
Addressing the conference, Director Nguyen Toan Thang of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment underscored that the statistics reflect more than numbers. He pointed to the “persistent dedication” of inspection teams—sifting through files, traveling to coastal areas, meeting ship owners face-to-face, and clarifying regulations. In many cases, consensus was only reached after repeated rounds of persuasion.
The Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment stated that he deeply understands the practical difficulties such as the large backlog of files, limited personnel, and significant time pressure. Based on the initial results, the Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Agriculture and Environment requested that agencies and units continue to uphold their sense of responsibility, strengthen coordination, and maintain the pace of work to complete the remaining tasks.
The Department's leadership affirmed that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Environment will always stand alongside, resolve difficulties, and create favorable conditions for the forces to complete the task of combating IUU fishing in the coming time.
