Petronella Sibeene
23 July 2008
Windhoek — Namibia yesterday cancelled the fishing licences of two vessels that were found to have indulged in illegal, unregulated and uncontrolled (IUU) fishing.
One vessel was caught in New Zealand's port of Auckland in May 2008 and the other was caught last week in Mozambique.
Both "Paloma V" and "Antillas Reefer" were flying Namibian flags and were holders of the country's fishing licences that they acquired last year under the Merchant Shipping Act of 1951.
Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Dr Abraham Iyambo, yesterday told journalists that MFV "Paloma V", licensed to catch for a Namibian fishing right holder Gongala Fishing JV (Pty) Ltd, was in May found by New Zealand authorities to have been involved in illegal fishing.
The minister said that upon landing at the Port of Auckland, authorities inspected the vessel and based on information from three computers that were installed on the vessel, it was discovered that the vessel was in the past involved in IUU fishing activities.
"The information they retrieved from the three computers indicated that "Paloma V" was involved in IUU fishing in the past. This included re-fuelling and re-supply of IUU listed vessel, "Chilbo San 33" during the period August 8-9, 2007," the minister said.
By that time, the vessel had not been registered with the Namibian Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
Further, the crew list and employment certificates showed that those who manned the vessel were once employed by Vidal Armandores and Mabenal SA, known to have been involved in illegal fishing activities.
The logbook also showed that the chief engineer on board has been serving interchangeably on the list of IUU vessel MFV "Duero".
"Paloma V was served with de-registration certificate by the Namibia registry through the Ministry of Works and Transport, Department of Maritime Affairs. At the moment she is not flying the Namibian flag and (has) no Namibian fishing licence on board," the minister said.
On Friday, the Mozambican authorities seized "Antillas Reefer" after it was caught fishing sharks illegally in that country's waters.
Reuters reported that the ship and its 36-member crew, most of them Spaniards, arrived in Maputo on July 5. When fishing inspectors weighed the "Antillas Reefer" cargo, they found that it was carrying 43 tonnes of sharks, four tonnes of shark fin, 1.8 tonnes of shark tail, 11.3 tonnes of shark liver, and 20 tonnes of shark oil.
According to Iyambo, "Antillas Reefer" was licensed by the ministry as a Namibian flagged vessel to harvest marine resources outside the Namibian waters in the Dissostichus toothfish ssp in the CCAMLR Convention area for 2007/8.
Registered under Ompala Fishing (Pty) Ltd as owner, the vessel operated and licensed to catch for Gongala Fishing JV (Pty) Ltd, a Namibian fishing right holder.
"Antillas Reefer" offloaded its catch at the port of Durban on May 5-9, 2008, to the satisfaction of the South African fisheries officials. The landing process marked an end to the issued fishing licence to MFV "Antillas Reefer" for 2007/8 fishing season and thus the licence was automatically cancelled.
After leaving the port of Durban, the owner of "Antillas Reefer" informed the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Namibia that it was heading for Mozambique where it would fish for its partner, the minister said.
A few weeks later, the ministry was informed by the Mozambican authorities that "Antillas Reefer" was being investigated for illegal fishing.
"Currently, the ministry is still waiting for official communication from Mozambique and this data will enable Namibia to take action on MFV "Antillas Reefer" where possible," the minister said.
The minister told New Era that it is easier for Namibia to monitor activities of any vessel locally but the ministry depends entirely on other countries to also monitor activities of vessels flying the Namibian flag.
Iyambo says the latest developments have indeed tarnished the country's image especially that Namibia is internationally known for its adherence to the laws and regulations governing fisheries and marine activities.
"When people talk of the vessel, the company is irrelevant but the country and its people will always be associated with illegal activities," he lamented.
Meanwhile, investigations continue into the incident where a vessel, MFV "Holmatindur" capsized at the Port of Walvis Bay.
The vessel was booked for its annual dry-docking maintenance purposes when the accident took place. No injuries were reported and Salvage operators are working on a plan to float the vessel again, Iyambo said.
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