COMBINED IUU VESSEL LIST

In October 2015 Liberia received an application to provide full registration to the carrier vessel NEW BAI I NO. 168, a vessel that was under a short term provisional registration. Documents supplied by the operator and a photo which indicated that the vessel is a former longliner converted to operate as a fish carrier (mini-reefer) were shared with the FCWC West Africa Task Force to enable background checks. Enquiries revealed that the vessel was in Dakar and under investigation by authorities in Senegal. The operator claimed that the vessel was previously named SAMUDERA and flagged to Indonesia, but the authorities in Indonesia confirmed that the Indonesian registration certificate was a forgery. Analysis of the information shared by Liberian and Senegalese authorities revealed a number of inconsistencies indicative of vessel identity fraud. Authorities in Senegal reported that the vessel had previously operated out of Dakar as the TAI YUAN NO. 227, claiming a Taiwanese flag. Photo analysis and cross-referencing of crew lists indicated that this was probably the case. The vessel owners, Chi Hsiang Fishery Co. Ltd and Bali Ocean Anugrah Linger Indonesia, listed on the application to the Liberian registry, were noted to be involved in several historic and ongoing cases of illegal fishing and vessel identity fraud in other regions of the world (Indian and Pacific Oceans). One of these companies is also listed as the owner of the vessel SAMUDERA PASIFIK NO. 18 – currently IUU listed by ICCAT for contravention of transhipment regulations. Information and documentation shared by Senegal indicated that the NEW BAI I NO. 168 engaged in transhipment at sea in September and October 2015. The vessel was not authorised to operate in the ICCAT area at this time, neither under the new name nor either of the possible previous names. Several of the longline fishing vessels listed on the transhipment document supplied were also not ICCAT authorised – indicating that the vessel was supporting an illegal fishing operation. Records also showed that the vessel was specifically transhipping sharks from the longliners, indicating that the operation may have been set up for this particularly lucrative trade. The vessel was flagged as high risk and Liberia did not provide full registration or licence the vessel. Vessel IUU listed by ICCAT in 2016.