Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Force vessels to be equipped with weapons: new decree KN-781, one of Vietnam's biggest and most advanced patrol ships. Tuoi Tre All ships under the management of the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Force will be equipped with weapons starting September 15, according to a newly-issued government decree. Under the decree No. 76 dated July 29, 2014 which introduces amendments to the current ordinance on the management and use of weapons, explosives and supporting devices, the maritime force’s members will be given handguns, submachine guns, and bullets. Meanwhile, the force’s vessels will be equipped with light machine guns, machine guns, 14.5mm machine guns, and bullets. The use of these weapons is specifically stipulated in the ordinance. The Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance Force, the first of its kind in the country, made its debut in a ceremony held in the central city of Da Nang in April this year. The force, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Directorate of Fisheries, is tasked with detecting, controlling, and handling violations of Vietnam’s fisheries laws and regulations that occur in the country’s sea areas. It will also help ensure safety for fishermen and their vessels at sea as well as monitor and manage the Southeast Asian country’s fisheries resources. Many ships of the force were rammed or blasted with water cannons by Chinese vessels when the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil rig was illegally placed in Vietnamese waters from early May to mid-July. Tuoi Tre News