Last of six toothfish poaching vessels arrested in Indonesia – ‘The entire fleet of the toothfish poachers is in disarray with no poachers fishing in Antarctica for the first time in more than 10 years’

Desdemona Despair

26 February 2016 (Sea Shepherd Global) – The hunt for the last of six known toothfish poaching vessels has ended with the arrest of the Nigerian-flagged Viking in Indonesia.

The announcement of the vessel’s arrest was made at a press conference in Jakarta today, held by Indonesian Fisheries Minister, Susi Pudjiastuti, the Commander of the Western Naval Fleet and other high-ranking Indonesian officials.

Officials stated that the Viking has been detained for entering Indonesian waters without permission and for falsifying its name. The ship’s Captain, Huan Venesa  of Chile, and its crew of 10 from Indonesia, Chile, Argentina, Myanmar, and Peru, have also been detained.

The Viking has been the target of Sea Shepherd’s 12^th Southern Ocean Defense Campaign, Operation Icefish 2015-16.

Last week, Sea Shepherd’s campaign leader, Captain Siddharth Chakravarty, notified officials in Indonesia of the suspected entry of the Viking into Indonesian waters. At today’s press conference, Minister Susi revealed that the Viking was located in the waters around the Riau Islands by the Indonesian Navy.

Indonesian officials again reiterated their strong stance against Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated (IUU) fishing, vowing to sink the Viking if the vessel is found to be in breach of international and national laws.

Captain Chakravarty said, “Indonesia has once again demonstrated a strong commitment to ensure that IUU fishing vessels and operators will not be welcome in its waters. Minister Susi has clearly stated that she intends to sink the Viking for crimes related to illegal fishing. Such swift government action is vital in ending the destructive streak of IUU vessels.”

The Viking is one of six toothfish poaching operators known to illegally fish vulnerable populations of Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean.

These six vessels, which Sea Shepherd named the “Bandit 6″, had been operating with impunity for more than 10 years, able to avoid detection and arrest by frequently changing name and registry; and by exploiting the remoteness of the Southern Ocean “shadowlands” where monitoring and surveillance is difficult.

In 2013, the Viking, then called Snake, was the first fishing vessel to be issued with an Interpol Purple Notice for fishing-related violations following a petition from authorities in Norway.

The owners and operators of the Viking are suspected of violating national laws and regulations, as well as international conventions by engaging in fraud and fisheries-related crime.

The Viking was last boarded by the Australian Customs Officers in September, 2015 on its way to Antarctica. With the return of the Viking to Indonesian waters and its subsequent arrest, all of the toothfish poaching vessels have been put out of action.

“The successful chase and the deliberate sinking of the Thunder, followed by the evidence hand-over and the trial in the case of her officers has firmly established Sea Shepherd’s reputation as being steadfast in their role to see the poachers through to the very end. This reputation has directly resulted in the return of the Viking back to shore, earlier than ever before. In a short span of 15 months, the entire fleet of the toothfish poachers is in disarray with no poachers fishing in Antarctica for the first time. International cooperation, spearheaded by Sea Shepherd’s at-sea campaigns, has directly resulted in one of the swiftest and biggest successes in marine conservation history.”

The Last Toothfish Poacher, Viking, Arrested in Indonesia

Captain Paul Watson
26 February 2016

(Facebook) – OPERATION ICEFISH IS NOW A 100% SUCCESS

THE VIKING ARRESTED TODAY BY INDONESIA

Very Good news to report today. All Six of the Southern Ocean Bandit Six poachers are now shut down. Sea Shepherd has successfully cleared the Southern Ocean of illegal toothfish poachers.

The last of the Bandit Six, the Viking was arrested today after Captain Sid Chakravarty and the crew of the Steve Irwin tracked and pursued it into Indonesia and turned it over to Indonesian authorities. The Indonesian Minster of Fisheries says she will sink it within a few days. Last week she sank 27 illegally caught vessels.

List of the Bandit Six

One: The Thunder: chased by Sea Shepherd for 110 days from the coast of Antarctica to the waters off São Tomé and Principe near the Equator off West Africa. Scuttled by her captain. Sea Shepherd boarded the sinking ship on April 6th, 2015 and secured the evidence. São Tomé sentenced the Captain and two of his officers to a $15 million Euro fine or three years in prison. The fine was not paid and they are now in prison.

Two and Three: The Songhua and the Yong Ding were located by Captain Peter Hammarstedt and arrested in Cape Verde in 2015.

Four: The Kunlun/Chang Bai: Arrested in Thailand in 2015, escaped and re-arrested in Senegal in February 2016.

Five: The Perlon arrested in Malaysia in 2015. Still being held.

Six The Viking/Snake: Arrested today in Indonesian waters after being tracked by the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin.

Captain Paul Watson