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Vietnam Coast News

11 Mar 2024

Cargo Ship Sinks Near Vietnam, All Crewmembers Rescued

© Prapat / Adobe Stock

A Vietnam-registered cargo vessel sank in about 380 nautical miles east of Vung Tau, Vietnam, local officials said.At about 4 p.m. on Sunday, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Singapore operated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), received a distress alert from the general cargo vessel Hung Phat 89 (HP89) within the Singapore Maritime Search and Rescue Region.MRCC Singapore immediately issued navigational broadcasts for vessels in the vicinity to keep a lookout and report sightings of the vessel in distress…

14 Apr 2020

Chinese Seismic Vessel Returns to Waters off Vietnam Amid Virus 'Distraction' Charges

A Chinese ship embroiled in a standoff with Vietnamese vessels last year has returned to waters near Vietnam as the United States accused China of pushing its presence in the South China Sea while other claimants are pre-occupied with the coronavirus.Vietnamese vessels last year spent months shadowing the Chinese Haiyang Dizhi 8 survey vessel in resource-rich waters that are a potential global flashpoint as the United States challenges China's sweeping maritime claims.On Tuesday, the ship, which is used for offshore seismic surveys, appeared again 158 km (98 miles) off Vietnam's coast, within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), flanked by at least one China Coast Guard vessel…

25 Aug 2019

Chinese Survey Ship Nears Vietnam Coast

A Chinese survey vessel on Saturday extended its activities to an area closer to Vietnam's coastline, ship tracking data showed, after the United States and Australia expressed concern about China's actions in the disputed waterways.The Haiyang Dizhi 8 vessel first entered Vietnam's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) early last month where it began a weeks-long seismic survey, triggering a tense standoff between military and coastguard vessels from Vietnam and China.The Chinese vessel…

17 Jul 2019

Vietnam, China in South China Sea Standoff

© lotusjeremy / Adobe Stock

Vietnamese and Chinese ships have been embroiled in a weeks-long standoff near an offshore oil block in disputed waters of the South China Sea, which fall within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, two Washington-based think-tanks said on Wednesday.China's U-shaped "nine-dash line" marks a vast expanse of the South China Sea that it claims, including large swathes of Vietnam's continental shelf where it has awarded oil concessions.The Haiyang Dizhi 8, a ship operated by the China Geological Survey…

25 Jun 2018

U.S. Yards: Competing – and Winning – Here and Across the Big Pond

Louisiana-based Metal Shark powers into the second half of 2018 with a healthy backlog, multiple recent deliveries into foreign markets, and a portfolio of patrol craft that has attracted multiple clients – here and abroad. Key patrol boat contracts for this rapidly expanding builder include the U.S. Coast Guard Response Boat – Small (RB-S). Over 300 of these units are service since the award of the contract in 2012 and, says Metal Shark, new units are in production and shipping weekly. Separately, over 50 of the U.S. Navy Force Protection Boat – Medium (FPB-M) have already been delivered and are in service. That contract, too, is still active and boats are shipping regularly. Looking ahead, Metal Shark was awarded a contract in October 2017 to produce up to 50 of the U.S.

20 Jun 2018

Metal Shark is Competing - and Winning - Here and Oversees

U.S. shipbuilder Metal Shark powers into the second half of 2018 with a healthy backlog, multiple recent deliveries into foreign markets, and a portfolio of patrol craft that has attracted multiple clients – here and abroad.At a time when more than a few workboat builders are feeling the pain of lingering offshore malaise and an oversupplied inland market that no longer needs large quantities of barges, Louisiana-based Metal Shark has found its groove in a suddenly active and highly competitive niche market. In fact, by the end of 2018, Metal Shark’s military vessels will be either in service or in production for nearly 50 countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Latin America.

12 Apr 2018

US-built Patrol Boats Delivered to Vietnam

(Photo: Metal Shark)

Six newly built military patrol boats constructed by Louisiana based shipbuilder Metal Shark have been delivered to the Vietnam Coast Guard. The new deliveries follow an initial round of six Metal Shark 45-foot Defiant-class patrol boats delivered to the Vietnam Coast Guard in the province of Quang Nam in May of 2017. The delivery follows back-to-back U.S. presidential visits to Vietnam from President Obama in 2016 and President Trump in 2017, a visit by Secretary of Defense James Mattis in January 2018, and a visit by the U.S.

11 Apr 2018

Vietnam Mulls Coast Guard 'Open Fire' Rules

Vietnam wants to give its coast guard more flexibility to open fire at sea, amid tension in the busy South China Sea waterway, a draft law released on Wednesday showed. The law, expected to be voted by lawmakers at the end of this year, would allow greater assertiveness in disputed waters by the coast guard, now armed with modern U.S. and Japanese patrol boats, in a policy likely to alarm neighbouring China. China claims almost all the South China Sea, through which about $3 trillion worth of sea-borne trade passes every year. Vietnam and four other countries also say they have rights in the sea, believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas.

23 Jun 2017

Metal Shark Wins $54 Mln US Navy Contract

Image: Metal Shark

Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark said it has been awarded a contract worth up to $54 million from the U.S. Navy to build Near Coastal Patrol Vessels (NCPVs) for U.S. partner nations through the Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Metal Shark’s proposal was selected by Naval Sea Systems Command from a field of six competing shipyards. Under the terms of the award, Metal Shark will build up to thirteen 85-foot Defiant-class welded aluminum cutters for the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala and other U.S. partner nations.

26 May 2017

US Delivers Ship to Vietnam Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard transferred a high-endurance cutter to its Vietnamese counterpart in Honolulu, the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi said on Friday, in the latest effort to deepen ties with its former foe. The move follows an increase in exchanges between the two countries, ahead of a visit to the United States next week by the Vietnamese prime minister and a recent delivery of six patrol boats to the Vietnamese coast guard. The ship will help the Vietnam Coast Guard carry out maritime law enforcement, and conduct search and rescue and other humanitarian response operations, the embassy said in a statement. "This cutter provides a concrete and significant symbol of the U.S-Vietnam comprehensive partnership," said U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Michael J. Haycock, its chief acquisition officer.

25 May 2017

Patrol Boats Delivered to the Vietnam Coast Guard

US Ambassador Ted Osius, fourth from left, inspects new Metal Shark patrol boats with Vietnam Coast Guard members during a delivery ceremony Monday May 22, 2017 in Quang Nam, central Vietnam (Photos courtesy US Embassy Hanoi)

Six new military patrol boats built by Louisiana-based shipbuilder Metal Shark have been delivered to the Vietnam Coast Guard. The welded-aluminum Metal Shark 45-foot Defiant pilothouse patrol vessels were provided to Vietnam by the United States in a move that underscores the increased security cooperation between the two nations. The vessels were officially handed over by U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius to the Vietnam Coast Guard on Monday in the province of Quang Nam. The new patrol boats will be employed by the Vietnam Coast Guard on law enforcement missions focused on smuggling…

04 Apr 2016

Vietnam Seizes Chinese Fuel Ship

Vietnam's coast guard has seized a Chinese vessel for intruding into its territorial waters, say local media. The ship, carrying more than 100,000 litres of fuel, was stopped near the northern maritime border last week. Vietnamese media say the crew admitted they were supplying fuel to Chinese fishing boats in the area. The government-owned Vietnam News Agency said the seized vessel had been disguised as a fishing boat. The report comes amid accusations from Malaysia and Indonesia that Chinese fishing vessels, backed by the Chinese coast guard, are intruding into what the countries consider as their sovereign waters. There has been no comment from China.

11 Mar 2016

This Day In Naval History: March 11

George Bancroft (Photo: United States Library of Congress)

1778 - During the American Revolution, the Continental frigate Boston captures the British ship Martha in the North Atlantic. 1845 - George Bancroft takes office as the 17th Secretary of the Navy. Although he serves in that position only 18 months, he establishes the Naval Academy at Annapolis and encourages the growth and importance of the Naval Observatory. 1941 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act, which permits delivery of war materials to Allied Powers on credit or lease. 1942 - Lt. John Bulkeley, commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3, helps Gen.

22 Jan 2016

China Pull Online Rig Location after Vietnam Complaint

Chinese maritime officials on Friday removed an online notice giving the location of a $1-billion deepwater oil rig in the South China Sea two days after issuing it, following a warning from Vietnam about drilling in disputed waters. Vietnam closely tracks the movement of the oil rig, which in mid-2014 caused the worst diplomatic rift between the neighbours in decades, when China parked it for 10 weeks in waters Vietnam considers its own. Annual trade between the communist neighbours exceeds $60 billion but anti-China sentiment is strong in Vietnam, where people are embittered over what many see as a history of Chinese bullying and territorial infringements in the South China Sea.

20 Jan 2016

China: Rig Not Drilling in Disputed Waters

In mid-2014, rig caused worst breakdown in ties in decades. China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that a $1-billion deepwater oil rig was not drilling in disputed territory in the South China Sea, in response to a warning from Vietnam against such activity. Vietnam closely tracks the movement of the oil rig, which in mid-2014 caused the worst diplomatic breakdown between the neighbours in decades, when China parked it for 10 weeks in waters Vietnam considers its own. This week Vietnam said Beijing had steered the rig, the Haiyang Shiyou 981, into a stretch where jurisdiction is unclear. "According to what is understood, China's Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling platform is operating in Chinese-controlled waters that are completely undisputed…

04 Nov 2015

Japan Delivers 2 Used Ships to Vietnam

Japan delivered on Tuesday two used ships to the Vietnamese Coast Guard to help the Southeast Asian country strengthen maritime security, reports the Japan Times. The two 600-ton vessels, provided in a ceremony in the city of Da Nang, will be refurbished into patrol boats in disputed waters of the South China Sea. The ships are the second delivery of a 2014 deal for Tokyo to provide Vietnam with six used fishing vessels that will be converted into patrol ships for Vietnam's coast guard and fisheries ministry. The Abe administration agreed last year to provide Vietnam with six used ships to help Hanoi cope with heightened tensions in the South China Sea. Two were delivered earlier and the remaining two will arrive by the end of this year.

02 Sep 2015

India's Oil Exploration near South China Sea Irks China

The state-run China Daily says that India's plans to conduct oil exploration off Vietnam coast in the South China Sea is "illegal and is an "unwise move" that may "sabotage" positive momentum in ties. "India's intention to once again explore for oil in the disputed waters of the South China Sea is an unwise move, as it will further complicate the maritime disputes and do a disservice to maintaining the positive momentum that has been achieved in China-India ties," the China Daily said in an editorial. Titled 'India should rethink its oil exploration plans', the editorial said according to reports India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation plans to restart exploration activities in the waters off Vietnam's coastline which are "also claimed by China".

27 Dec 2014

China, Vietnam to Address Maritime Disputes

Senior Chinese and Vietnamese officials have agreed to settle their maritime disputes without resorting to "megaphone diplomacy", the official Xinhua news service said on Saturday. The agency's report follows a meeting in Hanoi on Friday between Chinese political advisor Yu Zhengsheng and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and it comes as Beijing backs off from aggressive attempts to press its territorial claims in the South China Sea. "Megaphone diplomacy can only trigger volatility in public opinion, which should be avoided by both sides," the report quoted Yu as saying. "The maritime issue is highly complicated and sensitive, which requires negotiations to manage and control differences," he said.

18 May 2014

Vietnam Stops Anti-China Protests After Deadly Riots, China Evacuates

Vietnam flooded major cities with police to avert anti-China protests on Sunday in the wake of rare and deadly rioting in industrial parks that deepened a tense standoff with Beijing over sovereignty in the South China Sea. China has evacuated more than 3,000 nationals following the attacks on Chinese workers and Chinese-owned businesses last week, and Beijing had sent five ships on Sunday to bring more people home, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Several arrests were made in the capital Hanoi and commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City within minutes of groups trying to start protests, according to witnesses, as Vietnam's communist rulers stuck to their vow to thwart any repeat of last week's violence in three provinces in the south and centre.

14 May 2014

US Urges Dialogue in Chinese Oil Rig Dispute

Photo courtesy Vietnam Coast Guard

The White House said on Wednesday that a dispute in the South China Sea over erection of a Chinese oil rig about 120 miles (193 km) off the Vietnam coast needs to be resolved through dialogue, not intimidation. Spokesman Jay Carney said the United States is not a party to the dispute but said President Barack Obama on a recent Asia tour had repeatedly stressed the need for peaceful dialogue on various disputes involving China and the South China Sea. The dispute over the South…

09 May 2014

SE Asia Unity Tested as Tensions Spike

A surge of tensions in the South China Sea threatens to widen divisions between Southeast Asian nations at a summit this weekend, posing a severe test for host Myanmar as the newly democratic country seeks to manage the region's growing alarm over China. The routine annual meeting of Southeast Asian leaders has been given a jolt of urgency by a series of collisions this week between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels after China stationed a giant oil rig near the disputed Paracel islands, off Vietnam's coast. Both sides have blamed the other, and dozens of coastguard and patrol vessels are in the area. Tensions also spiked in another part of the oil- and gas-rich South China Sea, with Beijing demanding that U.S.

08 May 2014

China Blames Vietnam for Collisions, Calls for Talks

China says Vietnam intentionally collided with its ships in disputed waters. Official says no reason to suspend oil rig operations, demands Vietnam withdraw. The dispute tests Vietnam's uneasy ties with neighbor. Separately, Vietnam stock markets tumble on fears of conflict. China accused Vietnam on Thursday of intentionally colliding with its ships in the South China Sea, but called for talks to end a bitter row sparked by Beijing's parking of a giant oil rig in contested waters. A senior foreign ministry official in Beijing demanded that Vietnam withdraw its ships after its southern neighbour asserted that Chinese vessels used water cannon and rammed eight of its vessels at the weekend near the rig.

11 Mar 2014

Today in U.S. Naval History: March 11

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing into law the Lend-Lease Act. (Image courtesy of Library of Congress)

Today in U.S. Naval History - March 11 1935 - Birth of Naval Security Group when OP-20G became the Communications Security Group 1941 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Lend-Lease Act 1942 - In a PT boat, Lt. Cdr. John Bulkeley leaves the Philippines to take General Douglas MacArthur to Australia 1945 - Use of first Navy landing craft to cross Rhine River at Bad Neuenahr 1965 - Market Time patrols begin off South Vietnam coast For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.