Being blocked and attacked by a group of Chinese vessels around China’s illegally placed Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig in Vietnam’s waters, although it tried to avoid the block, Vietnamese fisheries resources surveillance vessel KN-951 was rammed until its two sides became broken.
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On June 28, vessel KN-951 returned to Da Nang city for repairs to the damage caused by Chinese vessels on June 23. Over the previous few days, despite the severe damage, it stayed on patrol at the Paracel archipelago to continue its tasks; however, as many devices on the vessel were broken and its hull was unsafe, it was ordered to go back to the mainland.
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The proof of the Chinese vessels’ ramming and destruction remains on the left side of the vessel. According to fisheries resources surveillance official Nguyen Viet Chinh, the destruction was caused by the Chinese vessel Xinhai 285, which is 3 to 4 times bigger than Vietnamese vessel KN-951.
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At that time, Vietnamese vessel 951′s passage was blocked and constrained on its right side by Chinese vessel You Lian 9 and chased after and fired upon by water cannon from Chinese maritime patrol ship No. 11; therefore, it could not avoid a strong ram from Xinhai.
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As the vessel was rammed and holed, the water flooded the hold of the vessel. Fisheries resources surveillance officials had to use every possible object such as clothes to cover the holes and bail out the vessel to prevent it from sinking. “The vessel was blocked and listing where its left side had been rammed by the Chinese vessel Xinhai 285,” said Mr. Chinh. “The collision was so strong that two fisheries resources surveillance officials were injured.”
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The most worrying thing for the crew was that the vessel had been rammed horizontally in an area that contained eight containers of CO2 holding 70 liters each. This was also the largest hole on the left side of the vessel, with a width of 25 centimetres and a length of nearly one metre. “If Chinese vessels had rammed a little bit more deeply, the vessel could have been exploded,” said Do Thanh Lam, a crew member.
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The inside of the CO2 containers and the medical room was destroyed. Although the vessel was out of order, many crew members were so brave to stay offshore for nearly one week before going ashore.
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Workers tried to repair the destroyed vessel.
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Many parts of the gas pipes and roof were destroyed.
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Iron air gates were torn.
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The ramming on the right side of the vessel
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Workers are removing destroyed parts of the vessels to repair it.
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Recently, many Vietnamese surveillance and coast guard vessels have been rammed by Chinese ones when they conducted their law enforcement mission to ask China to withdraw its Haiyang Shiyou-981 drilling rig from Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone. These vessels were repaired immediately in order to return to the Paracel archipelago./.
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