Three foreign-owned fishing trawlers allegedly looted 600 tons of lucrative South African chokka (squid) valued at R70-million as well as tons of fish from Eastern Cape waters.
The three ships arrived under Daff and navy escort and berthed in port soon after 8pm on Sunday night.
The SAS Drakensberg was seen at dawn yesterday riding its anchor off East London, guarding the port entrance.
From early Sunday night until 3am yesterday, police, SARS, customs, home affairs, and Samsa officials sifted through the vessels finding 340 tons of chokka on the Fu Yuan Yu 7880 and 60 tons on Fu Yang Yu 7881.
The Indonesian crew on the shambolic deck of Run Da 617 looked shocked, but the Chinese crew on their two-year-old vessels carried on working, dismantling metal baskets on some 110 winch-driven lines, each carrying an array of powerful lights.
In their joint statement, the departments said that on Friday, their monitoring system picked up two Chinese long-liners with fishing gear and no fishing permits nor permission to enter the SA exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Radio instructions to the vessels to head for port resulted in the vessels racing away and the SA forces having to race to twice intercept them.
Naval officers and inspectors had to finally board and capture them, the statement said.
Fish and chokka were found in the multiple below-deck fridges.
An array of charges are being contemplated against the vessels, which include not complying with lawful instructions and infringing conservation measures.
Thobile Gqabu, principal officer at the centre for fishing, said they were investigating crew safety, a pollution threat, vessel safety standards and “all related matters in terms of international conventions as well as South African maritime law”.
SANDF spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said the navy would “protect the resources and the territorial integrity of the republic”. — mikel@dispatch.co.za
600 tons of looted squid on trawlers
The three ships arrived under Daff and navy escort and berthed in port soon after 8pm on Sunday night.
The SAS Drakensberg was seen at dawn yesterday riding its anchor off East London, guarding the port entrance.
From early Sunday night until 3am yesterday, police, SARS, customs, home affairs, and Samsa officials sifted through the vessels finding 340 tons of chokka on the Fu Yuan Yu 7880 and 60 tons on Fu Yang Yu 7881.
The Indonesian crew on the shambolic deck of Run Da 617 looked shocked, but the Chinese crew on their two-year-old vessels carried on working, dismantling metal baskets on some 110 winch-driven lines, each carrying an array of powerful lights.
In their joint statement, the departments said that on Friday, their monitoring system picked up two Chinese long-liners with fishing gear and no fishing permits nor permission to enter the SA exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Radio instructions to the vessels to head for port resulted in the vessels racing away and the SA forces having to race to twice intercept them.
Naval officers and inspectors had to finally board and capture them, the statement said.
Fish and chokka were found in the multiple below-deck fridges.
An array of charges are being contemplated against the vessels, which include not complying with lawful instructions and infringing conservation measures.
Thobile Gqabu, principal officer at the centre for fishing, said they were investigating crew safety, a pollution threat, vessel safety standards and “all related matters in terms of international conventions as well as South African maritime law”.
SANDF spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said the navy would “protect the resources and the territorial integrity of the republic”. — mikel@dispatch.co.za
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