New regulations on submarine operations

The Government has just issued Decree No. 34/2025 amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decrees in the maritime sector, effective from April 10.

A notable point in the new Decree is the addition of regulations related to the management of diving vessels operating in tourism activities in Vietnam's seaport waters.

Accordingly, diving vessels are only allowed to operate in diving areas approved by the Vietnam Maritime Administration and assigned sea areas by competent authorities.

For diving crew members, there are also clear regulations on certificates and conditions. Specifically, diving crew members must meet the health standards of seafarers and ensure working age according to the provisions of Vietnamese labor law; have a Certificate of basic professional training of seafarers.

Submersibles are only allowed to operate in the submersible operating area approved by the Vietnam Maritime Administration and assigned sea area by the competent authority (Illustration photo).

At the same time, crew members must have a Certificate of Special Training for Seafarers: Crowd Management for Passenger Ships; Safety Training for Staff Directly Serving Passenger Cabins on Passenger Ships; Passenger Safety Training for Passenger Ships; Crisis Management and Human Response on Passenger Ships.

For submersible crew members, they must have graduated from college level or higher in ship control, have held the position of deck officer of a ship for 6 months or more, and have a Certificate of professional competence for the position of submersible control issued by the manufacturer.

Submersible support crew members, in addition to meeting the above general conditions, must also have graduated from intermediate level or higher in ship control, have held the position of AB watch crew member for 06 months or more. At the same time, have a Certificate of completion of the training course for submersible support crew members issued by the manufacturer.

The Decree also clearly states 5 cases of termination of submarine operations, including: The submarine's operational period expires according to the approved submarine commissioning plan; The organization is allowed to operate the submarine but does not operate it within 12 months from the date of approval of the submarine commissioning plan; Accidents, incidents, and epidemics occur causing serious consequences for people and the environment; For reasons of ensuring national defense and security; The organization operating the submarine no longer needs to operate or use it.

Accordingly, to be approved for a submarine operating area, organizations must submit a set of documents directly or via the postal system or online public service system to the Vietnam Maritime Administration.

The Vietnam Maritime Administration receives the application. If the application is not valid, within 3 working days from the date of receipt of the application, the organization will be guided to complete the application according to the provisions of this Decree.

Within 3 working days from the date of receipt of valid dossiers, the Vietnam Maritime Administration shall send a document (with 1 set of copies of the dossier requesting approval of the submarine operating area) to the Ministry of National Defense , the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the People's Committees of relevant provinces and cities for comments. Within 30 days from the date of receipt of the request for comments, the agencies requested for comments shall respond in writing to the Vietnam Maritime Administration.

Within 10 days from the date of receipt of the written response from the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the People's Committee of the relevant province or city, the Vietnam Maritime Administration shall issue a decision of approval. In case of disapproval, a written response must be given stating the reasons.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/quy-dinh-moi-ve-hoat-dong-tau-lan-192250227173301238.htm