BOSASSO, Somalia, April 25 (Reuters) – Maritime police in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland seized five Iranian ships and detained 78 Iranians in a rare crackdown on illegal fishing in Somalia.
Somalia has long complained about illegal fishing off its shores but its coastline, the longest in Africa, is infested with pirates and has been left defenceless against foreign fishing fleets after two decades of civil war.
Puntland was the epicentre of the Somali piracy boom but the use of armed guards on ships and a concerted crackdown by international navies has seen the number of successful pirate attacks fall, with no successful hijackings since last June, according to the United Nations.
The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF), which was trained at inception by an obscure South African private security group Saracen International, had been tasked with fighting piracy but its remit extends to combating illegal fishing and other illicit activities around Puntland’s coast.
Puntland government said 12 armed Somalia militia, recruited by the Iranians, also were taken into custody when the PMPF boarded the five ships in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
“The apprehended Iranian crew, their boats and the armed militia will be brought to justice,” a statement by the Puntland government issued on Wednesday said.
“Puntland government warns illegal fishing activities in its territorial water to cease immediately or face prosecution.”
PMPF’s other notable action against foreign ships took place in November, when the maritime force impounded MV Daesan, a North Korean ship ferrying cement to the Somali capital Mogadishu, accusing it of ditching its cargo off Somalia’s coast. (Writing By Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Michael Roddy)
ROME (Reuters) – An Italian judge on Friday cleared three migrant sea rescue charities that had been accused of abetting irregular immigration in complicity with human traffickers, throwing out a case opened...
(Bloomberg) — The closure of one of the East Coast’s busiest ports after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has so far not led to broad price increases,...
(Bloomberg) — An Iranian ship that’s been linked to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea is returning home, removing a prominent asset in the area as the Islamic Republic braces...
April 18, 2024
Total Views: 1531
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.