Hanoi (VNA) - Decree No. 11/2021/ND-CP officially replaced DecreeNo. 51/2014/ND-CP dated May 21, 2014 of the Government regulating the allocationof certain marine areas to organisations and individuals exploiting and using marineresources from March 30, 2021.

Ta Dinh Thi, Director General of the Vietnam Administrationof Seas and Islands (VASI) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said this is an important document that institutionalises the Party's guidelines andthe State's policies and laws on marine economic development associated with ensuringnational defence and security and the protection of environmental and marine andisland ecosystems in line with the Strategy for the SustainableDevelopment of Vietnam’s Marine Economy by 2030 and vision to2045.

It is expected to contribute to realising the goal of turning Vietnaminto a powerful marine nation, in which the marine economic sectors’contributionto GDP will represent 10 percent.

The new decree regulates that all activities of organisations and individualsexploiting and using marine resources must be implemented in marine areas they havebeen allocated, except the use of marine areas for defence and security purposes.

It states that sea areas allocated to organisations and individuals will be consideredand decided upon on a case-by-case basis. The time frame for using allocated marineareas will not exceed 30 years, and while this can be extended many times, the totalduration of such extensions must not exceed 20 years.
Under the decree, the four State agencies and competent authorities with the rightto allocate marine areas include the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Natural Resourcesand Environment, and the People’s Committees of coastal provinces and coastal districts.

Cases that are not required to allocate marine areas include scientific researchby Vietnamese organisations and individuals (except for scientific research usingfixed marine areas and those conducted by foreign organisations and individualsin Vietnam’s territorial waters), the measurement, observation, investigation, survey,and assessment of marine resources, and activities to resolve the direct consequencesof natural disasters or environmental incidents at sea.

Thi said marine areas for the construction, installation, and operation of worksserving the national and public interest and those for exploration and exploitationof oil and gas, transport oil, and gas resources taken ashore by pipelines underthe Prime Minister’s decision are not required to pay fees for the use of marineareas.

The Prime Minister will decide on exemptions of fees for using marine areas in othercases submitted by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

Apart from the above-mentioned cases, activities usingmaritime areas allocated by relevant State management agencies must pay fees forthe use of marine areas in the regulated price bracket and level.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will coordinate with theMinistry of Finance to propose the Government make adjustments to the price bracketfor using maritime areas in each period, to suit the socio-economic conditions./.