The APEC Capacity Building Workshop on Search and Rescue at Sea opened in Nha Trang city in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on July 18.

The two-day event is within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and is jointly held by Vietnam and other APEC member economies, namely Japan , Australia and Chinese Taipei.

Participants at the workshop shared their experiences in search and rescue; search and rescue process and technological application; international efforts in search and rescue at sea and APEC cooperation.

According to experts, maritime trading and transport account for 90 percent of global business transactions. However, natural disasters at sea have caused great losses as well as made search and rescue activities more difficult.

International delegates stressed the need to improve the capacity of APEC member economies in search and rescue at sea as they are all located in the Pacific Rim, a region hardest hit by the impacts of natural disasters.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang , Vietnam has faced many incidents at sea which caused human losses, damage to property and obstructed economic development.

The Vietnamese Government has spared no efforts to fund and improve search and rescue forces as well as international and regional cooperation, he said.-VNA