Accordingly, the province will provide financial support to upgrade or replace fishing vessel monitoring systems that fail to meet technical regulations. Specifically, the local government will cover 50% of the upgrading costs, capped at 5 million VND per vessel, and 50% of the replacement costs, up to a maximum of 11 million VND per vessel.

Eligible recipients include organizations and individuals with fishing vessels of 15 meters or more in length registered in An Giang province, which have installed vessel monitoring systems before May 19th, 2024, but do not yet meet the conditions stipulated in Clause 2, Article 26 of Decree No. 41/2026/ND-CP detailing some provisions and measures for the implementation of the Fisheries Law. Organizations and individuals with multiple eligible fishing vessels will receive support for all eligible vessels.

To be eligible for the support, vessel owners must provide a complete and valid set of legal documents, including a Fishing Vessel Registration Certificate, a Commercial Fishing License, and a Fishing Vessel Technical Safety Certificate. Additionally, applicants must have no record of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, no violations regarding border crossings at sea, and no instances of turning off or tampering with vessel monitoring systems (except in cases of force majeure). Finally, eligibility is contingent upon not having received similar support from other localities.

Each fishing vessel is eligible for a one-time subsidy for upgrading or replacing its vessel monitoring system. The subsidized equipment must fully comply with technical standards, maintain a stable connection with the national vessel monitoring system as regulated, and be backed by relevant invoices and documentation. Furthermore, the upgraded or replaced equipment must satisfy all requirements stipulated in Clause 2, Article 26 of Decree No. 41/2026/ND-CP.

The support period runs from the effective date of the Resolution until December 31st, 2026. Funding for this support policy will be allocated from the An Giang provincial budget and other legitimate funding sources as prescribed by law.

According to the Resolution, support must be transparent, targeted, non-duplicate, subject to inspection and supervision, and subject to strict handling of violations, avoiding vested interests. The goal is to ensure that no organizations or individuals in need of support are overlooked, while preventing policy abuse, waste of resources, and ensuring effectiveness and fairness.

In cases where the same support is stipulated in multiple different documents, beneficiaries may only choose the most advantageous support policy.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Chairman of the An Giang Provincial People's Council, emphasized that the support policy to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is a highly urgent task under decisive central government direction. He noted that it is also a vital matter for the fisheries sector, fishermen's livelihoods, and the global competitiveness of Vietnamese seafood. The timely issuance of this policy not only aims to strengthen state management and raise legal awareness in fishing activities, but also demonstrates the province's political resolve to join national efforts in swiftly removing the European Commission's (EC) 'yellow card' warning./.

News by NHU NGOC

Translated by Kim Ngan