Oceana denounces a pirate fishing vessel that is illegally receiving provisions today in Spain

Oceana has asked the government of Spain to immediately halt the re-provisioning of the vessel Eros II and to prevent it from leaving the Galician port of Santa Eugenia de Ribeira

Press Release Date: April 30, 2010

Location: Madrid

Contact:

Marta Madina | email: mmadina@oceana.org | tel.: Marta Madina

Today, the international marine conservation organization Oceana informed the Spanish government, the European Commission and the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) that the Eros II (ex Furabolos), a fishing vessel blacklisted for Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, is getting provisions in the harbour of Santa Eugenia de Ribeira, in Galicia, Spain. According to European Union law, this vessel is prohibited from receiving any provisions or services in any EU harbour.[i]

“Elena Espinosa, the Spanish Fisheries Minister, has announced several times that Spain is committed to taking tough actions against illegal fishing and the vessels, companies and owners involved in it, commented Xavier Pastor, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe, “This is a test case for the Minister, and we are asking the Spanish government again to scrap this pirate vessel, fine the owners and close their companies. Spanish owners of IUU fishing vessels must be held accountable under criminal laws.”

Oceana denounced the Eros II previously, in March 2009, after documenting the vessel in the harbour of Santa Eugenia de Ribeira, and asked the government of Spain to take immediate action against the vessel and its Spanish owners.

The Eros II, previously named Furabolos, was observed in international waters of the Northeast Atlantic without the correct licences in February 2008 and listed on the NEAFC IUU B list in July 2008[ii]. Since then, the vessel has been prohibited from entering any port of a NEAFC contracting party (of which the EU is one) under the Organization’s rules. However, despite being blacklisted, Spain ignored NEAFC’s rules by allowing the Furabolos to enter the port of Tenerife in October 2008. The ship left again a few days later and entered the port of Santa Eugenia de Ribeira in November 2008.

After being alerted by Oceana, the Spanish government communicated to the organization that they have taken action and sent an inspection team to the harbour of Santa Eugenia de Ribeira.  

Photos are available

 [i] Council Regulation (EC) No 43/2009 of 16 January 2009

[ii] Vessels that are blacklisted for IUU fishing by the Northeast Atlantic fisheries commission are on the NEAFC IUU B list