Mozambique to Use Seized Namibian Ship to Monitor Coastal Waters

Mozambique said on Friday it would use a Namibian registered ship it seized last month carrying tonnes of sharks illegally fished in its waters to monitor the country’s 2,500-km coastline. Fisheries Minister Cadamiel Muthemba told reporters in Maputo that the ship would not be returned to Namibia but would be converted into government property.

“We have taken this decision to use the ship to monitor our coast because we noted that “Antillas Reefer” would not need major investments and the state is in charge of its destination”, he said.

The ship was seized off the coast of the central Zambezia province on June 23 and inspectors found 43 tonnes of sharks, four tonnes of shark fin, 1.8 tonnes of shark tail, 11.3 tonnes of shark liver and 20 tonnes of shark oil, all with an estimated value of US$5 million on board the unlicensed ship.

Shark fins are an expensive delicacy in Asia, while shark liver and oil are used for medicinal purposes. The fisheries ministry had initially opted to fine the ship’s owners US$4.5 million for the US$5 million consignment.

“The government would have opted to use the ship for maritime passenger transport, (and) that would need more investments to modify it but for monitoring purposes, “Antillas Reefer” will only suffer light modifications since it has much of its equipment adequate for inspection”, said Muthemba.

Illegal fishing is rife in Mozambique, which lacks the capacity to effectively monitor its high seas and it also affects output activities and the government says it loses US$38 in revenues annually.

Source African Press Agency

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