At 4 pm on Monday, a Chinese ship rammed fishing boat DNa 90152 from Da Nang’s Thanh Khe District while it was operating in the Hoang Sa waters.  The Vietnamese fishing boat sank after the aggressive attack by the Chinese ship.  The owner of the Vietnamese vessel, Ms Huynh Thi Nhu Hoa, expressed her strong indignation about China’s inhumane actions.  She said that her boat had been worth around 5 billion VND.

Luckily, there were no human injuries.  At noon on Tuesday, Ms Hoa telephoned the families of all the crew members on board to assure them about the safety of their loved ones.  In addition, she affirmed that her other boats will continue to make trips to the Hoang Sa waters to safeguard Viet Nam’s sovereignty.

Representatives of the city’s authorities giving financial aid to Ms Hoa

Meanwhile, the captain of the central region’s largest fisheries support ship, Mr Le Van Sang from Hai Chau District, and his crew members expressed their discontent over the intentional attack by the Chinese ship.  For him, China’s aggressive actions clearly show that it completely disregards the legal operation of Vietnamese fishing boats.  In addition, Mr Sang vowed that his ship would continue to operate near the location where China has illegally positioned its oil drilling rig.  Its purpose is to supply necessary provisions to Vietnamese fishing vessels making long trips out to the Vietnamese waters.  He also promised that his ship would continue to make its journeys to stand side by side with local fishing boats as well as support those who are fulfilling their law enforcement missions in the Hoang Sa waters.

On Monday evening, 10 offshore fishing vessels, mainly from Quang Binh Province, docked at the city’s Tho Quang fishing wharf after their trips to the Hoang Sa fishing grounds.

Offshore fishing boats returning to the wharf

In particular, the owner of a 1,000 horsepower fishing vessel from the province, Mr Nguyen Van Toan, and his crew members were busy unloading cuttlefish.  He said that some Chinese ships continuously chased away his boat while it was operating legally in the Hoang Sa waters.  Despite this, the crew members kept calm and conducted their fishing activities, and they were not scared of the possibility of more attacks from the Chinese side.  He added that his 15-day trip brought back about 6 tonnes of cuttlefish and 2 tonnes of fish and shrimps.  After they sell their catches, his crew members will be allowed to return to their homes for a few days relaxation before their next trip.

At dawn on Tuesday, more offshore fishing boats from the central region berthed at the wharf after their trips to the Hoang Sa waters.  Most notably, Mr Sang’s fisheries support ship brought back 15 tonnes of seafood whilst another boat from Hai Chau District’s Thuan Phuoc Ward recorded 10 tonnes of fish.

According to the Management Board of Da Nang’s Tho Quang Wharf and Port, on average about 50 offshore fishing vessels dock at the wharf every day.  The boats have brought home a total of around 170 tonnes of seafood per day.