Vietnam protests over China’s sinking of vessel in contested South China Sea

The fishing vessel was moored near Da Loi island in the Paracel archipelago on March 6 when a China Maritime Surveillance Vessel chased it and fired water cannon at it, said the foreign ministry

‘The Chinese vessel committed an act that violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago,’ the ministry said

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A file photo of Vietnamese fishing boats near Da Tay island in the Spratly archipelago. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:56am, 22 Mar 2019Updated: 10:44pm, 22 Mar 2019

Vietnam has lodged an official protest with China following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing vessel in the contested South China Sea, the foreign ministry said late on Thursday.

The two countries have long been embroiled in a dispute over the potentially energy-rich stretch of waters, called the East Sea by Vietnam.

The fishing vessel was moored near Da Loi island in the Paracel archipelago on March 6 when a China Maritime Surveillance Vessel chased it and fired a water cannon at it, the ministry said in a statement.

A May 2014 file photo shows a Chinese vessel using water cannons on a Vietnamese boat. Photo: EPA

The boat sank after hitting rocks while it was being chased. All five fishermen on board were rescued by another Vietnamese fishing boat, the ministry said.

A Vietnamese rescue agency said earlier that the Chinese vessel rammed the fishing boat.

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