Poaching trawler on way to SA
2003-08-28 15:33
Cape Town - A pirate trawler carrying 85 tons of endangered Patagonian toothfish was being escorted to Cape Town on Thursday after its crew was arrested following a 20-day chase in the icy Antarctic, said an official.
South African and Australian officials boarded the Uruguayan-flagged longline trawler late on Wednesday, arresting its crew of 40 and taking control of 85 tons of allegedly poached toothfish, according to the ship's log book.
Environmental spokesperson Phindile Makwakwa said: "They are on their way to Cape Town and we expect them back in five to seven days."
The precious cargo, a seafood delicacy that could fetch up to R370 a serving, was allegedly fished illegally inside Australia's Antarctic fishing zone about 4 000km southwest of the mainland.
Hired the John Ross tug
An Australian customs and fisheries patrol boat, Southern Supporter, started the chase on August 7, and sought help from the SA Agulhas, a South African vessel strengthened against ice, in the middle of last week.
A British fisheries patrol vessel, Dorada, meanwhile raced east from the Falkland Islands to the interception point in the Roaring Forties, the name given by sailors to the southern latitudes, known for their extreme weather.
On Friday, Australia hired South Africa's most-powerful salvage tug, the John Ross, to outrun the Viarsa 1 which had braved sub-Antarctic pack ice in an attempt to escape, even although the vessel did not have a reinforced ice hull.
By Wednesday, the pirate trawler, crewed by Uruguayan, Spanish and Chilean seamen, found itself surrounded by no less than three vessels.
South African and Australian officials boarded and arrested the crew.
Makwakwa said the trawler was being directed back to Cape Town after which the Australian government would decide the crew's fate.
"Basically the plan is for them to go to Australia after reaching Cape Town and appear before an Australian court. South Africa is just providing logistical support.
"The rest is between Australia and Uruguay and it is really up to them to decide," said Makwakwa.