Ninh Binh eliminates all 'three-no' fishing vessels

As of April 30, all fishing vessels in the northern province of Ninh Binh have been fully registered, inspected and marked, while also obtaining food safety certificates, fishing licences and having their details updated in the national fisheries database (Vnfishbase), meaning the province no longer has any so-called "three-no" fishing vessels.

The term "three-no" refers to fishing vessels operating without registration, inspection certificate and fishing licence.

To date, Ninh Binh has completed the review, verification and updating of information relating to fishing vessels and vessel owners in Vnfishbase. All 1,388 fishing vessels measuring six metres or longer have been registered, with vessel and ownership information fully integrated into both the Vnfishbase and the national population database VNeID.

The achievement follows a series of measures introduced after the merger with Ha Nam and Nam Dinh provinces. On July 28, 2025, the Ninh Binh People's Committee issued a decision establishing a steering committee tasked with combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The province has also organised training courses and awareness campaigns on the 2017 fisheries law and related regulations, including provisions on IUU fishing prevention. Vessel owners and captains have been required to sign commitments not to engage in IUU fishing activities, particularly incursions into foreign waters. Authorities have also conducted a comprehensive census of fishing vessels by length category and compiled lists of vessels failing to meet regulatory requirements, including those lacking registration, inspection certificates, fishing licences or food safety certification.

Despite the progress, several shortcomings remain. Authorities continue to record cases of vessels losing vessel monitoring system (VMS) connectivity for more than six hours while operating at sea. Controls over vessels entering and leaving ports and anchorage areas have yet to be fully tightened, while monitoring and statistical reporting of catches landed through private and traditional fishing ports remain limited and inconsistent. There have also been instances of fishing vessels failing to dock at their designated ports as required.

According to provincial authorities, these challenges stem partly from infrastructure constraints. Ninh Binh currently has only two fishing ports, while numerous private and traditional landing sites and beach landing areas are scattered across coastal communes, stretching already limited enforcement resources.

According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Tran Anh Dung, the province will continue to diversify public awareness efforts and organise inspection teams to monitor anti-IUU fishing measures in coastal communes and wards.

It will also regularly review and publicise lists of vessels deemed at high risk of committing IUU fishing violations. At the same time, authorities will continue identifying those that have yet to install voyage monitoring system (VMS) and require owners to comply with installation regulations.

Ninh Binh has pledged to put an end to vessels operating without licences, failing to maintain VMS signals or sailing without registration numbers, and to impose strict penalties on those found deliberately violating regulations.

Particular emphasis is being placed on the deployment of electronic fisheries management systems, including the electronic catch documentation and traceability system (eCDT) and the electronic fishing and transhipment logbook system (Elogbook). These systems support the monitoring of vessel movements through ports, the collection of fishing logs and catch reports, oversight of landings. Authorities are also strengthening catch monitoring and traceability measures at ports, fishing wharves and vessel anchorage areas throughout the province.

At present, 608 of the province's 611 active fishing vessels measuring 15 metres or more in length have installed VMS, representing 99.51% compliance. The remaining three vessels have not yet installed the devices because they are newly registered and not yet operational, have remained inactive ashore for extended periods, or have recently undergone ownership transfers and are awaiting updates from equipment suppliers.

Meanwhile, 604 of the 611 vessels currently hold valid food safety certification, equivalent to 98.85% compliance. The remaining seven have not been certified because they are not currently operating and remain ashore. Authorities have also issued fishing licences to 1,383 of the province's 1,388 fishing vessels, representing 99.64% of the fleet./.