Japanese coast guard ship visits the city
On Tuesday, the Japan Coast Guard ship ECHIGO, carrying 85 officers and crew members, docked at Da Nang’s Tien Sa Port to begin a 7-day friendly visit to the city.
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| The Japan Coast Guard ship ECHIGO |
The Japanese guests were welcomed by representatives from the Command of the Viet Nam Coast Guard, the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs, the High Commands of Military Zone 5, the Border Guard High Command, and the city's Military Command.
This is the 4th time that a ship of the Japan Coast Guard has paid a friendly visit to Da Nang. However, it is the first visit since a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on enhancing the capacity of law enforcement missions at sea was signed between the two nations’ coast guard forces in September 2015.
During their stay in the city, the Japanese guests are scheduled to visit the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre Region II and the Coast Guard Region II Command. In addition, they will join with the Viet Nam Coast Guard force to conduct a practice on how to enhance law enforcement missions at sea.
During his reception the same day for the ship’s Commander Toyota Chikara, municipal People's Committee Vice Chairman Ho Ky Minh expressed his delight at the fine development of bilateral ties with Japan over recent years.
Vice Chairman Minh also hoped that the visit will help to deepen the bilateral comprehensive cooperation with a focus on enhancing the capacity of law enforcement missions between the two nations’ coast guard forces to ensure maritime security and safety in the region.
Commander Chikara said that he was very impressed with the cargo handling activities at the Tien Sa Port. He vowed to do his utmost to ensure the efficiency of the upcoming practice. In addition, he pledged to make even more effort to promote bilateral cooperation with Viet Nam, especially on maritime safety.
The 105.4m-long and 14.6m-wide ECHIGO has a displacement of 3,100 tonnes. It is equipped with numerous modern electronic warfare systems. Most notably, its stern features a helicopter landing deck.