EU companies involved in vessels on EU list of non-cooperating countries0
The European Commission today published a list of selected third countries that the Commission considers as “possible of being identified as non-cooperating third countries pursuant to IUU Regulation” pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008.
The Commission Decision identifies Belize, Cambodia, Fiji, Guinea, Panama, Sri Lanka, Togo and Vanuatu as such potential non-cooperating third countries.
Trygg Mat has conducted a brief analysis of the fishing vessels flagged to these countries and what companies are involved as owners or operators of them.
- 27% of the vessels with known owner are owned by EU based companies
- 24% of the vessels with foreign operators are operated by EU based companies
- EU based companies are involved in one or other capacity in 66 of the vessels, including 2 vessels on RFMO IUU lists
- There is involvement from a total of 50 companies from 14 different EU member States
- There are more vessels controlled by EU based companies than by any other single State
121115 Trygg Mat Memo on EU controlled vessels on non-contracting parties vessel lists
IUU listed vessel Seabull 22 with new name0
The CCAMLR and SEAFO IUU listed vessel Seabull 22, IMO 6803961 seems to have changed name to Itziar II. The vessel is most likely still Nigeria flagged and she has the same radio call sign as earlier.
The vessel was spotted by sports fishermen 30 miles off the Angola coast in June this year. The vessel was operating gill nets at 100 to 200 meter depth.
This is the third former toothfish poacher to appear in the South Atlantic in a short period of time. Also in June the poacher Ray lost her Belize flag after having tried to get a fishing license in Angola. And further south the poacher Octopus-1 is still operating in international waters after having changed name (from Pion) and flag (to Mongolia) in mid June.
Itziar II in Angola June 2012 (http://www.sealine.co.za/view_topic.php?id=73585&forum_id=45)
Seabull 22 (then Gold Dragon) fishing in the southern oceans
Poacher Ray has lost her flag and is operating in SEAFO area0
The CCAMLR and IUU listed fishing vessel Ray was denied a fishing license in Angola in May this year and asked to leave Luanda immediately. She left port June 8th. Since then she has operated in international waters just off the Angolan 200 mile zone. Ray was registered to Belize when she arrived in Luanda in April, but she is now listed in IHSF with flag “unknown”.
Poacher Pion changes name at sea0
The fishing vessel Pion (IMO 8713392) on the CCAMLR IUU vessel list has changed name to Octopus-1 and flag Mongolia. AIS signals indicate that the flag change happened between the 13th and 14th of June at S 47°59.41′E 008°37.65′ just north of the Bouvet Island. The vessel has now had at least 9 names and 8 flags since CCAMLR put her on the IUU vessel list in 2004.
The AIS signals are consistent with fishing and the vessel is in the SEAFO regulatory area.
| Time stamp AIS signal | 2012-06-13 T08:12:38.000Z | 2012-06-14T 11:38:37.000Z |
| MMSI | 334700000 | 457712000 |
| Country | Honduras | Mongolia |
| Ship name | PION | OCTOPUS-1 |
| Call sign | HQXJ4 | JVAM1 |
| IMO number | 8713392 | 8713392 |
Octopus-1, former Pion in the southern Atlantic Ocean.
Poacher Ray refused license in Angola0
Angola has denied the IUU listed vessel Ray a fishing license and has asked the vessel to leave the port of Luanda immediately.
The Ray, IMO 6607666, is on the CCAMLR and the SEAFO IUU vessel lists. April 12th this year she arrived in Luanda from Singapore, applying for a fishing license. The vessel, that used to be involved in toothfish longlining had been rebuilt for gill net fishing.
The new registered owner of the vessel is Belfast Global, SA 53rd E Street, Urbanizacion Marbella MMG Tower, 16th Floor Panamá – Republica Panama. The operator of the vessel is Belfast Global S.A. Explanada del Castillo S/N 35008 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain).
Ray in the Southern Oceans. Name at the time was Tropic
According to LexisNexis Mr. Juan Manuel Freire Rodriguez of Belfast Global is an executive of Freiremar Sociedad Anonomia, Avenida de los Consignatorios S/N, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 35008 Spain. This is the same address and similar name as Freiremar SA. Freiremar SA is the former owner of Ray’s sister vessel Challenge, IMO 6622642. Challenge is on the CCAMLR IUU vessel list for fishing inside the CCAMLR regulatory area without a license. The first sighting of the vessel in unregulated fishing in the CCAMLR area was in 2006. Freiremar was associated with the vessel from the year 2000 (through what appears to be a subsidiary; Prion Ltd in Falkland Islands to January 2005) to October 2005 when the vessel was sold to Argibay Perez JA, Apdo 141, 15960 Santa Uxia de Ribeira (La Coruna), Spain.
Argibay Perez owned Ray until Belfast Global bought her and is also the owner of another CCAMLR and SEAFO IUU listed vessel, the Pion, which left Singapore together with the Ray in March this year.
For a complete overview of the history of the vessels, click the links to the combined IUU vessel list below:
