At the regular press conference of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the afternoon of March 5, answering questions about the plan for 8 ships and 160 Vietnamese crew members operating right at conflict points in the Middle East region, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang informed: "According to domestic functional agencies, sea transport activities through the Middle East region have many risks of causing maritime safety and security.
Ms. Hang added: "To ensure the safety of Vietnamese ships operating on international routes and Vietnamese crew members working on foreign ships with maritime routes through this area, the Vietnam Maritime and Waterway Administration has sent relevant functional agencies, ship owners associations, Vietnamese ship owners, and crew supply companies, requesting them to regularly monitor and update the conflict situation in the Middle East region to proactively prevent and respond promptly to potential risks, ensuring absolute safety for Vietnamese ships operating on international routes and Vietnamese crew members working on foreign ships traveling through this area".
At the same time, Vietnamese representative agencies in Iran, Israel and neighboring countries also always closely monitor the situation, closely coordinate with domestic functional agencies to develop necessary and timely protection plans in case Vietnamese ships or citizens encounter difficulties" - Spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
