Tag: fishing vessels

Bill would keep vessels with illegally caught seafood out of U.S. ports A bill introduced in Congress yesterday would prevent pirate fishing vessels from entering U.S. ports to offload their illegally caught seafood. This pirate fishing is often called illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.The Administration bill, which implements an international agreement the United States helped negotiate, would benefit U.S. fishermen, seafood buyers, and consumers by keeping illegal seafood out of global trade. It is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, who introduced it in the Senate yesterday, and is co-sponsored by Sens. Begich, Snowe, Whitehouse, Murkowski, and Rockefeller."Illegal fishing undermines fishermen in the U.S. and worldwide who fish sustainably and legally, and it can devastate fish stocks and ocean ecosystems," said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "As one of the top importers of seafood globally, the U.S. is committed to combating illegal fishing and ensuring a level playing field for our fishermen. The international agreement and this bill will close the world's ports to illegal fishing."Illegal fishing deprives law-abiding fishermen and coastal communities around the world of up to $23.5 billion in revenue every year, and undermines efforts ...

Collision resulting in the loss of 11 lives The UK MAIB issues Report No 27/2011on the investigation of the collision between the container ship Cosco Hong Kong and the fish transportation vessel Zhe Ling Yu Yun 135 in the East China Sea, resulting in the loss of 11 lives on 6 March 2011.For more information, click hereSource: MAIB

Resulting in the breaching of five of her ballast tanks - experience feedback A large container ship was on a coastal passage in the South China Sea, an area well known for dense concentrations of fishing vessels. In the evening, in order to adjust the ETA at the destination port the following morning, the Master decided to stop and drift for an hour in open water before resuming passage at full speed.When the chief officer came on watch at 0400, accompanied by a lookout, he reviewed the charts to be used and noted the potential danger areas, including an isolated, unmarked reef, and highlighted it on the paper chart.The planned track avoided the reef by means of two sharp course alterations. By 0600, about an hour before these waypoints, a large concentration of randomly-moving fishing vessels was encountered, causing the chief officer to make a number of course alterations over the next hour.By this time, the vessel was approaching the most navigationally constrained part of the passage, in the vicinity of the off-lying islands and reef. The ship was making 21 knots and she was well off her intended track.The vessel's position had been plotted only twice between 0600 and ...

anford Ltd. could be fined up to $500,000 per count A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has returned a seven-count indictment charging Sanford Ltd. with violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), conspiracy and obstruction of justice, announced Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno and United States Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.Sanford Ltd. is a New Zealand based company that operates the Fishing Vessel (F/V) San Nikunau, a vessel that routinely delivers tuna to a cannery in American Samoa. The indictment describes a conspiracy where the crew of the vessel routinely discharged oily bilge waste from the vessel directly into the sea during its fishing voyages since at least 2007. Sanford Ltd. was also charged with violating the APPS for failing to accurately maintain an oil record book for the vessel and with obstruction of justice for presenting false documents and deceiving the Coast Guard during an inspection.If convicted, Sanford Ltd. could be fined up to $500,000 per count or twice the gross gain or loss that resulted from the criminal conduct. The indictment also seeks criminal forfeiture from Sanford Ltd. of more than $24 million for proceeds derived by Sanford Ltd. as a result of the ...

Chinese fishing boat captain who refused to heed a coast guard inspection order China called on Tokyo on Tuesday to quickly and appropriately resolve the arrest of a Chinese fishing boat captain who refused to heed a coast guard inspection order in Japan's territorial waters.The boat was spotted by the coast guard near the Goto islands off Nagasaki in southwestern Japan and asked to stop with commands and signs in Chinese, but the vessel ignored the call, the Nagasaki Coast Guard Office said."China has noted relevant reports and is currently investigating and verifying the situation," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing."This is an ordinary fishing incident. China hopes that Japan conscientiously protects the legal rights of the Chinese sailors and appropriately resolves this issue as soon as possible."The incident comes little more than a year after tensions between Japan and China flared up following a detention of a captain of a Chinese trawler that collided with Japanese patrol boats near disputed islands in the East China Sea.The clash stirred nationalistic frenzy in both countries and severely strained diplomatic relations.This time, however, the Chinese ship was detained in an area that is not a subject of territorial ...

The biggest proof that the debris is from the Japanese tsunami is a fishing boat Up to 20 million tons of tsunami debris floating from Japan could arrive on Hawaii's shores by early 2013, before reaching the West Coast, according to estimates by University of Hawaii scientists.A Russian training ship spotted the junk - including a refrigerator, a television set and other appliances - in an area of the Pacific Ocean where the scientists from the university's International Pacific Research Center predicted it would be. The biggest proof that the debris is from the Japanese tsunami is a fishing boat that's been traced to the Fukushima Prefecture, the area hardest hit by the March 11 disaster.Jan Hafner, a scientific computer programmer, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that researchers' projections show the debris would reach the coasts of Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Canada around 2014.They estimate the debris field is spread out across an area that's roughly 2,000 miles long and 1,000 miles wide located between Japan and Midway Atoll, where pieces could wash up in January. Just how much has already sunk and what portion is still floating is unknown."It's a common misconception it's like one mat that you ...

No injuries were reported SEATTLE - Debris from the 50-foot fishing vessel New York has washed ashore on the beach north of the Coos Bay entrance near North Bend, Ore., Oct. 23, 2011. Coast Guard pollution investigators have responded to the incident. No injuries were reported. U.S. Coast Guard photo.SEATTLE - The Coast Guard is responding to a pollution incident on the beach just north of the Coos Bay entrance near North Bend, Ore., Sunday.The 50-foot fishing vessel New York ran aground on the beach shortly after reporting that the vessel was taking on water at approximately 5:30 a.m.Coast Guard Station Coos Bay in Charleston, Ore., launched a 47-foot motor life boat and Group Air Station North Bend in North Bend, Ore., launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter to respond. The helicopter crew attempted to hoist the three fishermen on board but was unable to because of the vessel's instability due to the surf. The fisherman eventually swam ashore on their own.The helicopter crew landed on the beach, picked up the fisherman and transferred them to awaiting EMS at Group Air Station North Bend.The vessel's captain later reported that approximately 300 gallons of diesel, 15 gallons of hydraulic oil and 1/2 ...

To enter into force on 29 September 2012 The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, 1995 (STCW-F 1995) is set to enter into force on 29 September 2012, after the required 15 ratifications were reached on 29 September 2011, with ratification by the Republic of Palau.The STCW-F Convention sets the certification and minimum training requirements for crews of seagoing fishing vessels of 24 metres in length and above. The Convention consists of 15 Articles and an annex containing technical regulations.According to Article 12 of the Convention, it will enter into force 12 months after the date on which not less than 15 States have ratified it. The STCW-F Convention has now been ratified by: Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Kiribati, Latvia, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Norway, Palau, the Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, Spain, the Syrian Arab Republic and Ukraine.IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos welcomed the entry into force of the STCW-F Convention as a significant development to enhance safety at sea, coming as the Organization prepares to hold, in 2012, a diplomatic conference in South Africa for the purpose of adopting an Agreement on the implementation of IMO's other instrument relating to fishing vessel safety, the ...

It deprives legal fishermen and coastal communities of up to $23 billion of seafood NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco and Maria Damanaki, European Union commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, will sign a historic statement pledging bilateral cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, known as IUU fishing - a first for the longstanding partnership between the U.S. and the E.U. on fisheries management.The European Union and United States rank first and third, respectively, as the world's top seafood importers (Japan is second). Globally, illegal fishing deprives legal fishermen and coastal communities of up to $23 billion of seafood and seafood products annually. This puts honest fishermen at a disadvantage in the global marketplace. The U.S. and the E.U. recognize their responsibility to protect the oceans' vital food and biodiversity resources.In today's statement, the U.S. and the E.U. make it clear that they are committed to cooperating on combating IUU fishing as the only effective way of ending these practices.Among other things, they agree to work together to support the adoption of effective management measures in regional and international organizations to combat IUU fishing; promote tools that prevent IUU operators from benefiting economically from their illegal activities; exchange information ...

They took them for ransom Pirates looted over 85 fishing trawlers and abducted at least 75 fishermen along with 10 trawlers for ransom in the Bay off Barguna and Bagerhat coasts yesterday and the day before.Patharghata Upazila Matsyajibi Samity leaders quoting victims, who returned to Patharghata escaping from pirates' attack, said members of infamous ''Raju Bahini" swooped on 25 trawlers which were fishing in the Bay, 15 kilometers south of Fairway Boya in the upazila.The pirates looted money, fish, fishing nets, mobile phone sets, radio and other valuables at gun point and left the area abducting 75 fishermen for ransom along with 10 fishing trawlers early Tuesday.In a separate incident, pirates swooped on 50 fishing trawlers which were fishing near coasts of Bedarhali and Nishan Baria areas of Rayenda upazila in Bagerhat yesterday.They looted the trawlers and kidnapped several fishermen at gun point.Barguna Trawler Workers Union president Abdul Mannan Majhi confirmed that the members of Raju, Motaleb and Al Amin gangs committed robbery in over 85 trawlers from early Tuesday to early Wednesday and kidnapped 75 fishermen and took them along with 10 fishing trawlers and took them to their hideouts for ransom.Source: The Daily Star