WELLINGTON: The New Zealand government was granted permission to board the Kunlun and the Songhua by Equatorial Guinea under whose flag they sail but the captains of both refused to cooperate.
The crew of HMNZS Wellington had observed the two ships, as well as the Yonding, fishing illegally for Patagonian toothfish in the Ross Sea near Antarctica.
All three, which are known to be repeat offenders, ignored requests by the Wellington to stop fishing.
New Zealand’s foreign minister Murray McCully said the Wellington now had the right to board the vessels to verify their status, but they have refused to cooperate.
“Due to the conditions and the evasive tactics of the masters it was not possible to safely board these vessels,” he said.
“While this is disappointing, it is important that we keep the safety of the New Zealand crew as our paramount consideration.”
Mr McCully told the ABC’s PM program the ability to take “enforcement action” was a high priority.
“We’re taking this very seriously,” he said.
“There are a range of vessels that are able to operate there under tight management and one of the purposes of the Wellington being in the vicinity is to ensure that those tight management requirements are being adhered to by all the players.
“It makes a mockery of the whole process to have vessels with no permit come in from outside, basically flout all of the rules and plunder and damage the resource.
