Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has spoken highly of efforts by the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (SBIC) in building fisheries surveillance vessels, making a practical contribution to safeguarding the national sea and island sovereignty.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung inspects fisheries surveillance ship KN 781

At a working session with SBIC executives in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh on June 4, PM Dung said that Viet Nam is a coastal country with a sea area of more than 1 million sq.km.

Its sea-based economic activities, which include aquaculture, fishing, oil and gas exploitation, and shipping, have benefited the national construction and development, he added.

The leader noted that in the past years, the shipbuilding industry has made great strides as Vietnamese engineers and workers have created a large number of modern and high-quality vessels.

Restructured from the Viet Nam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin), the SBIC now comprises eight affiliates which account for 70 percent of the country’s shipbuilding capacity.

PM Dung ordered the corporation to continue the building and handing over of fisheries surveillance ships as scheduled, as well as stand ready to maintain and build more vessels for law enforcement forces.

He said Viet Nam is piloting a project building steel fishing vessels so as to equip fishermen with more modern ships. He asked the SBIC to work closer with authorised agencies and fishermen to create more steel vessels, helping fuel the fishing industry.

The same day, the leader inspected the fisheries surveillance ship KN 781, which is built by SBIC’s Ha Long Shipbuilding Company and expected to be handed over later this month.

The large-scale vessel is hoped to help conduct offshore patrols supporting Vietnamese fishermen and enforcing law in the country’s waters.

(Source: VNA)