The interception of four Chinese-flagged fishing vessels that entered South Africa’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and territorial waters without the required authorisation has been welcomed by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp.
He commended the coordinated action by the fisheries branch of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), working with a South African Police Service (Saps) Tactical Team, in intercepting the vessels this week.
“South Africa will not tolerate the unlawful use of its maritime zones,” Aucamp said.
“We remain resolute in safeguarding our marine resources and ensuring that our ports are not perceived as ports of convenience. Compliance with our laws is non-negotiable.”
The vessels – Zhong Yang 231, Zhong Yang 232, Zhong Yang 233 and Zhong Yang 239 – were placed under guard by Saps Tactical Team members and fishery control officers at the Port of Cape Town anchorage while compliance processes were finalised between DFFE and the vessel owner, Shenzhen Shuiwan Pelagic Fisheries Co Ltd.
According to the DFFE, the vessels initially requested permission on February 23 to pass through South Africa’s EEZ under “innocent passage”, indicating they would exit by March 3.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) reported that the vessels had also applied for Off-Port Limits (OPL) authorisation – without the required justification or documentation – on February 27, and the request was rejected.
“Further investigations by DFFE revealed that the vessels had already entered South African territorial waters while the OPL request was under consideration. They were detected within 12 nautical miles of the KwaZulu-Natal coast and later tracked along the Eastern Cape coastline,” the department said.
During this time, the vessels repeatedly switched their Automatic Identification System (AIS) on and off.
“This is a violation of South African regulations requiring foreign vessels to keep AIS active while transiting national waters. AIS is a critical safety system used to ensure navigational awareness and prevent collisions at sea,” the department said.
The DFFE said based on available evidence, there were reasonable grounds to suspect non-compliance with the Marine Living Resources Act 18 of 1998.
“The Masters of the vessels were charged and an administrative penalty of R400 000 was imposed. The vessel owner subsequently paid the fine, after which the vessels were released and departed South African waters,” the department said.
“South Africa remains committed to safeguarding its maritime zones, protecting marine resources and strengthening international cooperation in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.”
