By Alister Doyle OSLO, Oct 6 (Reuters) – A coalition of insurance firms agreed on Friday to crack down on pirate fishing by banning coverage for trawlers whose illegal catches are worth at least $10 billion a year.
Firms would deny insurance for vessels on a European Union blacklist of ships involved in illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing around the world. More than 100 vessels are on the current list.
Until now, legal loopholes in defining pirate fishing have sometimes enabled trawler owners to gain insurance for vessels that harm global fish stocks. The EU list gives a common benchmark for outlawing vessels.
More than 20 companies agreed the measures in a deal sponsored by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, AXA , Generali, Hanseatic Underwriters and the Shipowners’ Club. The plan was also backed by the United Nations.
“We will encourage the adoption of measures that help to reduce and eliminate IUU fishing,” they said in a statement released at an international conference on protecting the oceans in Malta.
They agreed to “not knowingly insure or facilitate the insuring of vessels that have been officially blacklisted for their involvement in IUU fishing.”
The statement included “knowingly” because some firms feared they might unwittingly insure a vessel that had recently changed its flag or name to disguise its pirate past.
Scientists have estimated that IUU fishing costs the global economy between $10 billion and $23.5 billion a year, or between 11 and 26 million tonnes of fish.
Dana Miller of Oceana, an international non-governmental group which works to protect the seas, said insurers would benefit from the guidelines. Owners of pirate trawlers sometimes scuppered vessels to make bogus insurance claims, she said.
European Union law already bars anyone in the bloc from supporting IUU fishing.
“Now the commitment is more global,” she told Reuters of Friday’s agreement, which is also part of a joint initiative by Oceana and the United Nations on sustainable marine insurance.
The EU blacklist is based on lists drawn up by regional fisheries management organizations worldwide, from the North Atlantic to waters around Antarctica.
Interpol also sometimes issues “purple notices” about pirate ships, but they are not publicly available. Among other measures, a 2016 U.N. agreement calls on countries to deny port entry for vessels that have been involved in IUU fishing. (Reporting by Alister Doyle; Editing by Keith Weir)
Canada will establish two new Arctic consulates in Alaska and Greenland and appoint a dedicated Arctic ambassador as part of a long-awaited strategy for a region where Russia and China are increasingly seeking to assert their influence.
The expansion of Canada’s Trans Mountain pipeline represented a $24 billion bid to help the country’s oil producers reduce their near-total reliance on the US market. That’s a bet that may pay off sooner than expected if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his tariff threats.
The crew of Panama-flagged cargo ship MV ISA STAR have been rescued in the Red Sea after sending a distress signal, the EU's Aspides naval mission said.
December 5, 2024
Total Views: 1536
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.