South China Sea Forum
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2.12.2012 Two additional ships join the ranks of CMS：
More are on their way。
that is not fair.
Soryu
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This article is more than one year old, though it is still fresh since situation has not changed much in the South China Sea.
Billiards in the East Sea
Posted on July 6, 2011 vietnamnet | by Michael Auslin (WSJ)
VietNamNet Bridge – In the South China Sea (East Sea), China is playing billiards, while America is playing some version of Capture the Flag. For Beijing, the goal is to knock the other billiard balls off the table, leaving itself in control. Washington, on the other hand, is trying to keep Beijing from capturing the flag of regional hegemony.
American policy makers need to recognize they’re playing a different game from the Chinese and adjust their strategy. While shifting to billiards is too provocative for Washington, if trends continue, it may soon find itself behind the eight ball with few options for maintaining its stabilizing role in the region.
Observers have two different interpretations of what the Chinese challenge actually is. Many in Washington believe that China threatens freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, thereby potentially harming U.S. national interests, including uncontested passage of U.S. Navy ships, the free flow of global economic trade and maritime lifelines to U.S. allies such as Japan and South Korea.
By contrast, many in Southeast Asia believe that the issue is one of control over territorial resources. By some estimates, the region holds as much as 30 billion barrels of oil and over 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. While dozens of oil fields are already being explored, it is the ability to control future exploration and exploitation of such resources that is driving China’s behavior.
Beijing’s claim of the entire East Sea puts it into a position to contest the ownership of territories that contain proven resources. The most likely flashpoints are the Spratly and Paracel Islands, each of which is claimed by multiple nations, including China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. This is the same dynamic at play in the dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku Islands.
China’s territorial claims can be most effectively exercised by having the capability both to move anywhere in the region’s waters as well as to prevent other nations from navigating freely. Thus, harassing and shadowing the navies and maritime exploration vessels of other countries serves as a de facto test of Beijing’s strength and influence. As the surface fleet of its Navy grows, its ability to deploy and cover more territory takes on added meaning with the displays of assertiveness of the past years.
There is little reason to believe that Beijing has any thought (let alone the ability) to seriously hamper regional navigation; such blatantly aggressive moves would be immediately challenged by the U.S. Navy. Yet, making clear its ability to do so can result in political pressure being put on smaller nations to surrender or modify their territorial claims and to curb their legitimate maritime activities.
This all may not quite amount to a strategy, but it certainly resembles the tactics of the billiard table. Beijing targets the billiard balls of its neighbors, trying to knock them off the table one by one.
In response, Southeast Asian countries have started clamoring for the U.S. to intervene. The Philippines last week said that its 1951 defense treaty with the U.S. would cover Chinese threats.
But the U.S. answer isn’t so easy. If Washington pushes too hard and asks Southeast Asian nations to significantly increase joint maritime activities, it will likely find that Hanoi, Manila, Jakarta and the rest fear making China an enemy even more than they fear China acting as a bully. Too little response by the Americans, however, will convince the smaller nations that they might have no choice but to accede to China’s wishes.
In balancing these concerns, Washington has ended up playing a completely different game. As a status quo power, Washington has largely been reactive to Chinese testing of the limits of regional norms. Instead of punishing China for its provocations, American policy has tried to reassure Beijing of America’s goodwill and convince Chinese leaders that it poses no threat to China’s growing influence. It is hoped this will induce the Chinese to act responsibly, even when tweaked by smaller nations.
The best way forward is to recognize China’s game, start playing it and then rig the table. Washington should seek to expand the billiard table by putting more balls into play. India has just announced plans to increase naval patrols in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which lie at the Indian Ocean entrance to the Malacca Strait. Japan has made a strategic shift to focus on its “southwestern island wall” stretching from Kyushu to just north of Taiwan. Australia will be modernizing and doubling its submarine fleet over the next decade.
Then Washington should induce these partners to play a bigger role near disputed waters through greater engagement with Southeast Asian nations. Further, U.S. and allied ships should shadow Chinese vessels when they start to approach contested territory and move quickly to areas where incidents have occurred.
More broadly, Washington’s goal, executed through Hawaii-based Pacific Command, should be to create a more active maritime community of interests in the Indo-Pacific arc and to counter Chinese moves where they occur. Greater sharing of intelligence resources, joint training, coordinated (if not joint) patrols and the like will provide the measure of security necessary to ensure smaller nations that their international rights are being protected. U.S. and allied ships should have no compunction about shadowing Chinese naval vessels when they start to approach contested territory.
Finally, political bluntness, such as that of U.S. Senator Jim Webb, who warned of a coming “Munich moment” in Asia, will clarify the issues at stake. Whether it wants to or not, America will have to start nudging some billiard balls around the table.
Michael Auslin (WSJ)
* Mr. Auslin is the director of Japan studies at the American Enterprise Institute and a columnist for WSJ.com. He is the author of “Pacific Cosmopolitans: A Cultural History of U.S.-Japan Relations” (Harvard University Press, 2011).
Billiards in the East Sea
Posted on July 6, 2011 vietnamnet | by Michael Auslin (WSJ)
VietNamNet Bridge – In the South China Sea (East Sea), China is playing billiards, while America is playing some version of Capture the Flag. For Beijing, the goal is to knock the other billiard balls off the table, leaving itself in control. Washington, on the other hand, is trying to keep Beijing from capturing the flag of regional hegemony.
American policy makers need to recognize they’re playing a different game from the Chinese and adjust their strategy. While shifting to billiards is too provocative for Washington, if trends continue, it may soon find itself behind the eight ball with few options for maintaining its stabilizing role in the region.
Observers have two different interpretations of what the Chinese challenge actually is. Many in Washington believe that China threatens freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, thereby potentially harming U.S. national interests, including uncontested passage of U.S. Navy ships, the free flow of global economic trade and maritime lifelines to U.S. allies such as Japan and South Korea.
By contrast, many in Southeast Asia believe that the issue is one of control over territorial resources. By some estimates, the region holds as much as 30 billion barrels of oil and over 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. While dozens of oil fields are already being explored, it is the ability to control future exploration and exploitation of such resources that is driving China’s behavior.
Beijing’s claim of the entire East Sea puts it into a position to contest the ownership of territories that contain proven resources. The most likely flashpoints are the Spratly and Paracel Islands, each of which is claimed by multiple nations, including China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines. This is the same dynamic at play in the dispute between Japan and China over the Senkaku Islands.
China’s territorial claims can be most effectively exercised by having the capability both to move anywhere in the region’s waters as well as to prevent other nations from navigating freely. Thus, harassing and shadowing the navies and maritime exploration vessels of other countries serves as a de facto test of Beijing’s strength and influence. As the surface fleet of its Navy grows, its ability to deploy and cover more territory takes on added meaning with the displays of assertiveness of the past years.
There is little reason to believe that Beijing has any thought (let alone the ability) to seriously hamper regional navigation; such blatantly aggressive moves would be immediately challenged by the U.S. Navy. Yet, making clear its ability to do so can result in political pressure being put on smaller nations to surrender or modify their territorial claims and to curb their legitimate maritime activities.
This all may not quite amount to a strategy, but it certainly resembles the tactics of the billiard table. Beijing targets the billiard balls of its neighbors, trying to knock them off the table one by one.
In response, Southeast Asian countries have started clamoring for the U.S. to intervene. The Philippines last week said that its 1951 defense treaty with the U.S. would cover Chinese threats.
But the U.S. answer isn’t so easy. If Washington pushes too hard and asks Southeast Asian nations to significantly increase joint maritime activities, it will likely find that Hanoi, Manila, Jakarta and the rest fear making China an enemy even more than they fear China acting as a bully. Too little response by the Americans, however, will convince the smaller nations that they might have no choice but to accede to China’s wishes.
In balancing these concerns, Washington has ended up playing a completely different game. As a status quo power, Washington has largely been reactive to Chinese testing of the limits of regional norms. Instead of punishing China for its provocations, American policy has tried to reassure Beijing of America’s goodwill and convince Chinese leaders that it poses no threat to China’s growing influence. It is hoped this will induce the Chinese to act responsibly, even when tweaked by smaller nations.
The best way forward is to recognize China’s game, start playing it and then rig the table. Washington should seek to expand the billiard table by putting more balls into play. India has just announced plans to increase naval patrols in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which lie at the Indian Ocean entrance to the Malacca Strait. Japan has made a strategic shift to focus on its “southwestern island wall” stretching from Kyushu to just north of Taiwan. Australia will be modernizing and doubling its submarine fleet over the next decade.
Then Washington should induce these partners to play a bigger role near disputed waters through greater engagement with Southeast Asian nations. Further, U.S. and allied ships should shadow Chinese vessels when they start to approach contested territory and move quickly to areas where incidents have occurred.
More broadly, Washington’s goal, executed through Hawaii-based Pacific Command, should be to create a more active maritime community of interests in the Indo-Pacific arc and to counter Chinese moves where they occur. Greater sharing of intelligence resources, joint training, coordinated (if not joint) patrols and the like will provide the measure of security necessary to ensure smaller nations that their international rights are being protected. U.S. and allied ships should have no compunction about shadowing Chinese naval vessels when they start to approach contested territory.
Finally, political bluntness, such as that of U.S. Senator Jim Webb, who warned of a coming “Munich moment” in Asia, will clarify the issues at stake. Whether it wants to or not, America will have to start nudging some billiard balls around the table.
Michael Auslin (WSJ)
* Mr. Auslin is the director of Japan studies at the American Enterprise Institute and a columnist for WSJ.com. He is the author of “Pacific Cosmopolitans: A Cultural History of U.S.-Japan Relations” (Harvard University Press, 2011).
Battle of Bach Dang River
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Indian navy ready to deploy to South China Sea as tensions climb
HANOI/NEW DELHI | Tue Dec 4, 2012 7:46am IST
(Reuters) - India has declared itself ready to deploy naval vessels to the South China Sea to protect its oil-exploration interests there, a potential new escalation of tensions in a disputed area where fears of armed conflict have been growing steadily.
India's naval chief made the statement on Monday just as Vietnam's state oil and gas company, Petrovietnam, accused Chinese boats of sabotaging an exploration operation by cutting a seismic cable being towed behind a Vietnamese vessel.
Petrovietnam said the seismic vessel, Binh Minh 02, had been operating outside the Gulf of Tonkin when the cable was severed on Friday. It had earlier been surveying the Nam Con Son basin further south -- an area where Indian state-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has a stake in a Vietnamese gas field.
Indian Navy Chief Admiral D.K Joshi said that, while India was not a territorial claimant in the South China Sea, it was prepared to act, if necessary, to protect its maritime and economic interests in the region.
"When the requirement is there, for example, in situations where our country's interests are involved, for example ONGC ... we will be required to go there and we are prepared for that," Joshi told a news conference.
"Now, are we preparing for it? Are we having exercises of that nature? The short answer is yes," he said.
Petrovietnam posted on its website comments made by the deputy head of exploration, Pham Viet Dung, to a journalist from Vietnam's Petrotimes that the seismic cable was quickly repaired and the survey resumed the following day.
"The blatant violation of Vietnamese waters by Chinese fishing vessels not only violates the sovereignty ... of Vietnam but also interferes in the normal operations of Vietnamese fishermen and affects the maritime activities of Petrovietnam," Dung was quoted as saying.
Indian navy ready to deploy to South China Sea as tensions climb | Reuters
HANOI/NEW DELHI | Tue Dec 4, 2012 7:46am IST
(Reuters) - India has declared itself ready to deploy naval vessels to the South China Sea to protect its oil-exploration interests there, a potential new escalation of tensions in a disputed area where fears of armed conflict have been growing steadily.
India's naval chief made the statement on Monday just as Vietnam's state oil and gas company, Petrovietnam, accused Chinese boats of sabotaging an exploration operation by cutting a seismic cable being towed behind a Vietnamese vessel.
Petrovietnam said the seismic vessel, Binh Minh 02, had been operating outside the Gulf of Tonkin when the cable was severed on Friday. It had earlier been surveying the Nam Con Son basin further south -- an area where Indian state-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has a stake in a Vietnamese gas field.
Indian Navy Chief Admiral D.K Joshi said that, while India was not a territorial claimant in the South China Sea, it was prepared to act, if necessary, to protect its maritime and economic interests in the region.
"When the requirement is there, for example, in situations where our country's interests are involved, for example ONGC ... we will be required to go there and we are prepared for that," Joshi told a news conference.
"Now, are we preparing for it? Are we having exercises of that nature? The short answer is yes," he said.
Petrovietnam posted on its website comments made by the deputy head of exploration, Pham Viet Dung, to a journalist from Vietnam's Petrotimes that the seismic cable was quickly repaired and the survey resumed the following day.
"The blatant violation of Vietnamese waters by Chinese fishing vessels not only violates the sovereignty ... of Vietnam but also interferes in the normal operations of Vietnamese fishermen and affects the maritime activities of Petrovietnam," Dung was quoted as saying.
Indian navy ready to deploy to South China Sea as tensions climb | Reuters
Battle of Bach Dang River
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Singapore concerned over China's South China Sea rule
By Kevin Lim, Reuters
Posted at 12/03/2012
SINGAPORE - Singapore expressed concern on Monday over China's plan to board and search ships sailing in what it considers its territory in the South China Sea, as tension grows over Beijing's sovereignty claims in busy Southeast Asian waters.
"Singapore is concerned about this recent turn of events," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in response to a recent Chinese media report on new rules that will allow police in the southern Chinese province of Hainan to board and seize control of foreign ships which "illegally enter" its waters from Jan. 1.
Wealthy Singapore, home to the world's second-busiest container port, is the second Southeast Asian country to publicly express concern over the new rules after the Philippines on Saturday condemned the Chinese plan as illegal.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/12/03/12/singapore-concerned-over-chinas-south-china-sea-rule
By Kevin Lim, Reuters
Posted at 12/03/2012
SINGAPORE - Singapore expressed concern on Monday over China's plan to board and search ships sailing in what it considers its territory in the South China Sea, as tension grows over Beijing's sovereignty claims in busy Southeast Asian waters.
"Singapore is concerned about this recent turn of events," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in response to a recent Chinese media report on new rules that will allow police in the southern Chinese province of Hainan to board and seize control of foreign ships which "illegally enter" its waters from Jan. 1.
Wealthy Singapore, home to the world's second-busiest container port, is the second Southeast Asian country to publicly express concern over the new rules after the Philippines on Saturday condemned the Chinese plan as illegal.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/12/03/12/singapore-concerned-over-chinas-south-china-sea-rule
Battle of Bach Dang River
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China’s 'new rule' in South China Sea is threat to all countries — DFA
December 1, 2012 2:49pm
Chinese authorities’ reported plan to board and search ships that "illegally" enter the South China Sea, which includes the West Philippine Sea, is a “direct threat” to all countries, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday.
“If media reports are accurate, this planned action by China is illegal and will validate... pronouncements by the Philippines that China’s claim of indisputable sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea is not only an excessive claim but a threat to all countries,” the DFA said in a statement.
Quoting from the official China Daily, Reuters earlier reported that a new rule, which will come into effect on Jan. 1, will allow police in the southern Chinese province of Hainan to board and seize control of foreign ships that "illegally enter" Chinese waters and order them to change course or stop sailing.
“If media reports are accurate, then China's planned action will be a gross violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC), international law, particularly UNCLOS, and a direct threat to the entire international community as it violates not only the maritime domain of coastal states established under UNCLOS, but also impedes the fundamental freedom of navigation and lawful commerce,” DFA said.
Apart from Philippines and China, other countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia claim various parts of the South China Sea as part of their territories.
Earlier, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan noted that China’s plan will escalate tension in the region.
"My reaction is (this is) certainly an escalation of the tension that has already been building. And it is a very serious turn of events," he said.
On December 12, South China Sea claimants – excluding China – will hold a meeting in Manila discussing “viable options to move the issue forward” and find a “peaceful resolution” to the unresolved territorial row in the disputed seas.
Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia are set to attend the meeting, which will be hosted by the Philippines.
Manila and Beijing’s standoff began in April after Chinese vessels were caught poaching in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. Before Filipino authorities can make arrests, Chinese ships blocked their path. — Rouchelle R. Dinglasan /LBG, GMA News
China’s 'new rule' in South China Sea is threat to all countries — DFA | News | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere
December 1, 2012 2:49pm
Chinese authorities’ reported plan to board and search ships that "illegally" enter the South China Sea, which includes the West Philippine Sea, is a “direct threat” to all countries, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday.
“If media reports are accurate, this planned action by China is illegal and will validate... pronouncements by the Philippines that China’s claim of indisputable sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea is not only an excessive claim but a threat to all countries,” the DFA said in a statement.
Quoting from the official China Daily, Reuters earlier reported that a new rule, which will come into effect on Jan. 1, will allow police in the southern Chinese province of Hainan to board and seize control of foreign ships that "illegally enter" Chinese waters and order them to change course or stop sailing.
“If media reports are accurate, then China's planned action will be a gross violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC), international law, particularly UNCLOS, and a direct threat to the entire international community as it violates not only the maritime domain of coastal states established under UNCLOS, but also impedes the fundamental freedom of navigation and lawful commerce,” DFA said.
Apart from Philippines and China, other countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia claim various parts of the South China Sea as part of their territories.
Earlier, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan noted that China’s plan will escalate tension in the region.
"My reaction is (this is) certainly an escalation of the tension that has already been building. And it is a very serious turn of events," he said.
On December 12, South China Sea claimants – excluding China – will hold a meeting in Manila discussing “viable options to move the issue forward” and find a “peaceful resolution” to the unresolved territorial row in the disputed seas.
Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia are set to attend the meeting, which will be hosted by the Philippines.
Manila and Beijing’s standoff began in April after Chinese vessels were caught poaching in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. Before Filipino authorities can make arrests, Chinese ships blocked their path. — Rouchelle R. Dinglasan /LBG, GMA News
China’s 'new rule' in South China Sea is threat to all countries — DFA | News | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere
Battle of Bach Dang River
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Now It is time for the whole world stand up to protect Freedom of Navigation in SCS! 
cirr
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Also at JN Shipyard are Yuanwang-21 the Launch Vehicle Transporter：
and Yuming，48000-ton teaching practice ship for Shanghai Maritine University:
Yuanwang-7、a couple of Type 039B submarines、several minesweepers/hunters and LCACs are also under construction at the same No. 3
Production Line，a line that is mostly dedicated to the building of naval assets at JN。
As for Production Lines 1 and 2， well。。。 later will be put into good use soon。A grand drama is about to be unveiled。
and Yuming，48000-ton teaching practice ship for Shanghai Maritine University:
Yuanwang-7、a couple of Type 039B submarines、several minesweepers/hunters and LCACs are also under construction at the same No. 3
Production Line，a line that is mostly dedicated to the building of naval assets at JN。
As for Production Lines 1 and 2， well。。。
later will be put into good use soon。A grand drama is about to be unveiled。
HongWu
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Last time USA left its ally Philippines alone to fight China over Scarborough Shoal. This time Viets can cry and beg again when our coast guard bullies your fisherman and cuts your oil exploration cables. Our aircraft carrier and J-15 need some live target practice.
Viet
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Don´t dare to repeat the same provocation!
If the PLA leaders haven´t noticed, the Vietnamese government will not tolerate any further provocations. Any foreign vessels that break into Vietnams exclusive economic zone (EEZ), continent shelf and internal waters without prior permission are military targets. Our east coast equipped with the latest cruise missiles funtions like a giant battle ship covering the entire South China Sea. Just feel free and send your junk carrier into disputed waters.
Viet
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Vietnam Marine Police seize 11 Indonesian pirates
Tuoitrenews |
Updated : Fri, November 23, 2012,10:45 AM (GMT+0700)
Vietnamese marine police escort the pirates to its office in Vung Tau
Photo: Tuoi Tre
Vietnam marine police detained 11 pirates who had attacked and commandeered a Malaysian-flagged ship, forcing nine sailors to leave the ship in a life raft off Vietnam’s southern Vung Tau city.
At 9:30 pm yesterday a police boat of the Vietnam Marine Police Department landed in Vung Tau bringing along 11 pirates who had been arrested on the Zafirah ship they had robbed after forcing all nine crewmembers to leave the ship in a life raft.
According to initial testimonies of the pirates, they all are Indonesians.
Earlier on the afternoon of November 19, the Department received messages from the Pirate Information Center under the International Maritime Bureau located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that the Zafirah had gone missing and it could have been attacked by pirates.
The latest location of the ship where the ship’s owner could contact the crew was about 110 nautical miles from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.
Ordered by the Department, five police boats were deployed to track down the ship in distress. On November 20, the police found out that the ship had entered Vietnam’s territorial waters and changed its directions continuously to avoid detection.
On the morning of November 21, two local fishing boats, BV95192 and BV92350, found nine Zafirah sailors – five Burmese and four Indonesians – drifting on a life raft and rescued them.
Yesterday morning a rescue boat from the Vietnam Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) took these sailors to Vung Tau.
Colonel Dao Quang Hien (R), Chief of Staff of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province Border Guard, received the Zafirah ship's captain, Sann Winnaung, and other crewmembers in Vung Tau yesterday morning (Photo: Tuoi Tre)
The ship’s captain, Sann Winnaung, a 56-year-old Burmese, told Vietnamese sea police that the pirates, all wearing masks, threatened that they would kill any sailors who resisted them.
The pirates then stole the ship after dropping all nine crewmembers on the life raft, the victims said.
At 2:20 Thursday two police boats spotted the stolen ship and signaled to ask it to stop. Police used loudspeakers to call on the pirates to surrender, but they rejected the calling and continued sailing.
Colonel Le Xuan Thanh, commander of the Zone III Maritime Police, ordered his staff to open fire to attack the pirates.
At 4:50 pm police seized all of the 11 pirates and no casualties occurred during the attack and seizure, police said.
Saved crewmembers were taken safely to Vung Tau yesterday morning (Photo: Tuoi Tre)
Rescued sailors talking with a deputy director of the Vung Tau MRCC, Luong Truong Phi (L) (Photo: Tuoi Tre)
Tuoitrenews |
Updated : Fri, November 23, 2012,10:45 AM (GMT+0700)
Vietnamese marine police escort the pirates to its office in Vung Tau
Photo: Tuoi Tre
Vietnam marine police detained 11 pirates who had attacked and commandeered a Malaysian-flagged ship, forcing nine sailors to leave the ship in a life raft off Vietnam’s southern Vung Tau city.
At 9:30 pm yesterday a police boat of the Vietnam Marine Police Department landed in Vung Tau bringing along 11 pirates who had been arrested on the Zafirah ship they had robbed after forcing all nine crewmembers to leave the ship in a life raft.
According to initial testimonies of the pirates, they all are Indonesians.
Earlier on the afternoon of November 19, the Department received messages from the Pirate Information Center under the International Maritime Bureau located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that the Zafirah had gone missing and it could have been attacked by pirates.
The latest location of the ship where the ship’s owner could contact the crew was about 110 nautical miles from Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.
Ordered by the Department, five police boats were deployed to track down the ship in distress. On November 20, the police found out that the ship had entered Vietnam’s territorial waters and changed its directions continuously to avoid detection.
On the morning of November 21, two local fishing boats, BV95192 and BV92350, found nine Zafirah sailors – five Burmese and four Indonesians – drifting on a life raft and rescued them.
Yesterday morning a rescue boat from the Vietnam Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) took these sailors to Vung Tau.
Colonel Dao Quang Hien (R), Chief of Staff of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province Border Guard, received the Zafirah ship's captain, Sann Winnaung, and other crewmembers in Vung Tau yesterday morning (Photo: Tuoi Tre)
The ship’s captain, Sann Winnaung, a 56-year-old Burmese, told Vietnamese sea police that the pirates, all wearing masks, threatened that they would kill any sailors who resisted them.
The pirates then stole the ship after dropping all nine crewmembers on the life raft, the victims said.
At 2:20 Thursday two police boats spotted the stolen ship and signaled to ask it to stop. Police used loudspeakers to call on the pirates to surrender, but they rejected the calling and continued sailing.
Colonel Le Xuan Thanh, commander of the Zone III Maritime Police, ordered his staff to open fire to attack the pirates.
At 4:50 pm police seized all of the 11 pirates and no casualties occurred during the attack and seizure, police said.
Saved crewmembers were taken safely to Vung Tau yesterday morning (Photo: Tuoi Tre)
Rescued sailors talking with a deputy director of the Vung Tau MRCC, Luong Truong Phi (L) (Photo: Tuoi Tre)
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