A Chinese tanker transporting 180 tons of DO petroleum was one of a number of illegal foreign tankers seized by the Vietnam Customs Department. Apart from this incident that occurred on December 5, two more Chinese tankers that were also transporting more than 100 tons of petroleum into Vietnam were seized on December 12.
The crew members were unable to provide documentation to support the origin of the petroleum worth more than VND6 billion (US$ 285,000).
Due to these illegal entrances off the coast of the northern province of Quang Ninh, customs officials have joined up border guards to intensify surveillance and official examinations.
[mappress]
World Maritime News Staff, December 15, 2011