IN THE FIELD OF M ARlNE NAVIGATION SAFEW Over the cast years, the concerned ministries, branches and-localities have made great efforts in managing marine activities and ensuring rnaritime order and safety at seaports and maritime areas. However: in the first months of 2003, a number of serious maritime accidents happened, causing oil spills, environmenial pollution and great material losses to the State and people at the seaport areas in Ho Chi Minh city and Ba Ria- Vung Tau province. The maritime accidents are attributed mainly to the causes that the examination and supervision of the observance of the regulations on marine navigation safety by waterway means, especially the oil- and chemicals-transporting means operating at Vtetnams seaports and maritime areas, are neither close nor serious; ship owners and means operators fail to observe or have not yet fully observed the law provisions when participating in maritime activities; the management of sh~ps and boats operating on inland...