Duties and powers of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center

Duties and powers of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (Internet image) 

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. Location and functions of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center

- Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (hereinafter referred to as the Center) is a humanitarian service unit, directly under the Vietnam Maritime Administration, performing the function of presiding over and coordinating search and rescue activities in Vietnamese waters, except for seaport waters, prohibited areas, and restricted areas at sea.

- The Center has legal status, has its own seal, can open an account at the State Treasury, and is headquartered in Hanoi.

- The center has a transaction name written in English: "VIETNAM MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE CO-ORDINATION CENTRE", abbreviated as: VIETNAM MRCC.

(Article 1 of Decision 1252/QD-BGTVT 2023)

2. Duties and powers of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center

The tasks and powers of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center are specified in Article 2 of Decision 1252/QD-BGTVT in 2023, including:

- Develop and submit to the Director of the Vietnam Maritime Administration for approval according to authority or submit to competent authorities for approval of 5-year and annual plans, programs, projects, and schemes in the field of maritime search and rescue.

- Preside or participate in developing national standards, technical regulations, and economic-technical norms on maritime search and rescue and submit them to the Vietnam Maritime Administration according to regulations.

- Participate in developing draft legal documents on maritime search and rescue; promulgate individual administrative documents and professional documents on maritime search and rescue under the Center's authority.

- Organize the implementation of legal documents, plans, standards, technical regulations, and economic-technical norms on maritime search and rescue.

- Propagate and disseminate laws related to search and rescue activities at sea to relevant organizations and individuals in the fields of search and rescue and traffic safety at sea according to the plan approved by the Ministry of Transport and Vietnam Maritime Administration.

- Preside over and participate in coordinating search and rescue activities:

+ Develop a search and rescue coordination mechanism at sea, submit it to the Vietnam Maritime Administration, report to competent authorities for approval, and organize implementation after approval;

+ Develop a plan to coordinate search and rescue at sea and proactively organize its implementation; Submit to competent authorities for consideration and organize implementation after approval for coordinated search and rescue cases at sea that exceed the Center's response capacity;

+ Develop and submit to the Vietnam Maritime Administration for approval an annual plan to respond to natural disasters at sea and a plan to arrange permanent specialized search and rescue vehicles in key areas to be ready to participate in search and rescue coordination and implementation activities.

+ Directly command and manage the Center's search and rescue forces; preside over the coordination of search and rescue activities in Vietnam's waters, except for seaport waters and prohibited and restricted areas at sea; In cases where response capacity is exceeded, the Center reports and follows the direction of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response and Search and Rescue;

+ Within their area of responsibility, have the right to mobilize and command people, vehicles, and equipment of organizations and individuals to participate in search and rescue at sea;

+ Organize search and rescue coordination drills for the Center's search and rescue forces and other search and rescue forces according to the approved search and rescue coordination plan.

+ Participate in coordinating maritime search and rescue with countries and international organizations in accordance with Vietnamese law and international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member;

+ Participate in coordinating with other search and rescue forces to conduct search and rescue in seaport waters, prohibited areas, and restricted areas at sea under the management of the presiding agency;

+ Organize 24-hour daily duty to receive information, process, and promptly respond to distress situations occurring in waters under Vietnam's search and rescue responsibility;

+ Organize and carry out statistical tracking of people, vehicles, and equipment of relevant forces in the sea area where the incident occurred to serve search and rescue.

- Organize and manage machinery, equipment, and specialized vehicles for search and rescue to ensure technical requirements and readiness to perform assigned tasks.

- Participate in international cooperation on search and rescue at sea in accordance with Vietnamese law, bilateral and multilateral agreements, and international treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member; is Vietnam's national focal point agency responsible for coordinating and participating in cooperative search and rescue activities at sea with ASEAN.

- Participate with functional forces in ensuring maritime safety and maritime security and contribute to protecting Vietnam's sovereignty over islands and islands when requested; Participate in fire prevention and fighting, and prevent environmental pollution at sea when requested by competent authorities.

- Organize professional training and training in search and rescue operations for relevant organizations and individuals.

- Organize the management apparatus, officials, and employees and use approved payroll according to regulations; Implement salary regimes and other benefits, rewards, and disciplinary policies for officials and employees; Training and fostering officials and workers under the Center's management according to the provisions of the law; Build the Center's organizational structure, job positions, and employee rank structure and submit it to competent authorities for approval.

- Officials and employees of the Center directly participating in search and rescue activities must wear working clothes according to regulations.

- The Center is allowed to use funding from the state budget and other legal revenue sources to carry out assigned tasks; manage finances, and assign assets according to the provisions of law.

- Carry out research and application of science and technology in the field of search and rescue at sea; build and implement programs and projects applying science and technology; build an information database to serve management and exploitation in the field of search and rescue at sea.

- Directly have relationships with relevant domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to carry out assigned functions, tasks, and powers according to the provisions of law.

- Organize citizen reception, resolve complaints, denunciations, feedback, and recommendations from organizations and citizens; prevent and combat corruption and misconduct; practice thrift; combat waste; and handle violations of the law by organizations and individuals under the Center's jurisdiction.

- Participate in building and organizing the implementation of the overall administrative reform program of the Vietnam Maritime Administration.

- Implement statistical and reporting regimes according to regulations.

- Perform other tasks and powers assigned by competent authorities.

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