News
SIF Report: Seta 70
The SIF working group cooperates with Liberian officials in the case of the Seta-70 and learns lessons for the future
On the 22nd of July, 2011, based on a request from the Bureau of National Fisheries (BNF) and West African Regional Fishery Project (WARFP), a fishing vessel was arrested by the Liberian coastguard after trying to flee and resisting arrest until shots were fired over the bow. The vessel was brought into the Monrovia harbour, Liberia where the Korean Captain and his first mate disembarked to the company offices, while the rest of the crew were detained on board the vessel. This vessel, the now infamous Seta-70, owned by a Korean multinational company which allegedly has offices in Spain’s Canary Islands and a luxury golf resort on the Spanish mainland.
In April of this year the same vessel, along with several others, was accused by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) of fishing illegally in Sierra Leone’s waters leading to the seizure of an estimated 4 million Pounds worth of fish in the Spanish port of Las Palmas. In October last year, a fisherman named Isaac Nmah told Star Radio that the Seta-70, a vessel under the management of the Inter-Burgo Industrial Company, sailed straight over his canoe and all of his fishing materials went missing as a result of the incident, leaving him to survive by swimming on pieces of planks until he was rescued.
The Seta 70 was charged with turning off its vessel monitoring system for 24 days and fishing in the Inshore Exclusion Zone, as reported by a Liberian observer. The vessel was also found to be using an illegal mesh size and trans-shipping illegally on two separate occasions, all of which could not be reported sooner by the observer as he was locked out of the bridge and unable to communicate with his colleagues. The vessel was reported by the observer as soon as the ship was within mobile phone coverage, giving him the opportunity to call from inside a locked toilet.
The SIF working group and its network were able to provide information to assist officials in the BNF and WARFP in preparing for lodging the case with the Ministry of Justice, including information from IUU vessel lists, historical information about the vessel, its movements and the connections that Inter-Burgo has across the world. The officials were able to examine evidence including documents, telephone numbers and fish in the hold marked for a range of destinations including China, Korea and the EU. The vessel was later fined for its offences.
This case is one of several where the SIF network has been able to provide connections, links, support, information and intelligence information to African countries that wish to act against illegal fishing activity. SIF is currently exploring options to expand this role and provide support to countries before, during and immediately after vessel arrests are made.