Efforts seeking a missing fisherboat at the South Sea fishery zone ended yesterday as Vietnam confirmed the official detention of the Chinese boat and its seven fishermen on board, eastday.com reports today.

The boat, "Gui North Fishing 63055," was operating on its normal daily fishing course at the northern bay area of the South Sea on the afternoon of Sept. 23 when its was chased and shot by Vietnamese armed patrols, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.

The boat, with seven fishermen on board from the Guanxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, was missing ever since.

Chinese rescue team had been searching at the bay for days until the Vietnamese authority's public declaration yesterday.

Vietnamese ungrounded detention is seen as a renewed violation to two joint protocols signed by the two countries together.

More than 40 Chinese fisherboats have been caught and detained by the Vietnamese sea guards at the northern bay within the year.

Chinese Embassy in Vietnam has made a quest for further talks with the Vienamese authorities, urging the ensuring of Chinese people's lives and properties.

The quest also urged Vietnam to arrange an immediate visit for the embassy to the trapped crew and set them free as soon as possible, with official declaration on the whole issue.

"We are very much shocked and dissatisfied at the issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry said. "We strongly urge that violations to joint protocols like this should never occur again."

(eastday.com September 27, 2003)