Navy search begins after IUU Antarctic trawler flees Phuket
Tanyaluk Sakoot


A Navy search is under way for the missing illegal Antarctic fishing trawler Kunlun, previously registered as the Taishan, after it fled Phuket on Tuesday (Sept 8). Photo: The Phuket News / file

PHUKET: -- The illegal Antarctic fishing trawler Kunlun, previously registered as the Taishan, has fled Phuket.

The boat was seized on arrival in Phuket on March 6 after its crew had successfully fled the Australian and new Zealand navies with its illegal load of toothfish. (See story here.)

An officer of the Royal Thai Navy confirmed to The Phuket News this morning that ship had disappeared on Tuesday (Sept 8).

“A search is under way to locate the missing vessel,” he said.

The officer declined to explain any more details.

Marine conservation group Sea Shepherd blamed New Zealand and Australian authorities for not detaining the illegal fishing vessel when they had the chance.

“When we criticised Australia and New Zealand for not arresting the Kunlun at sea, authorities in those two countries assured the international community that the most effective tool in the fight against these poachers was port state controls,” Sea Shepherd chairman Peter Hammarstedt said in a statement issued yesterday (Sept 9).

“If the vessel had been arrested by Australia or New Zealand, the catch would never have been returned.

“Instead, Australia and New Zealand’s unwillingness to arrest the Kunlun and seize its catch at sea has allowed this poaching operation to continue, and to profit from its crimes.”

At last report, Authorities in Phuket are waiting for word from Bangkok on what to do with the alleged illegal fishing vessel. (See story here).

The ship pulled into Phuket and offloaded eight containers holding 182 tons of fish, labelled “grouper”. These were taken by road to Songkhla where they were to have been loaded onto another vessel for shipment to Vietnam.

The consignment was intercepted by Customs there, however, and after examination it was discovered that the fish were not grouper, but Patagonian toothfish, known in Thailand as “snow fish”.

“The 182 tons of snow fish are being held in Songkhla waiting for final decisions from authorities.

“If it is proved that the ship reported falsely that the consignment was grouper and not snow fish, the people who will be held responsible for this, including the ship’s captain and the shipping agent [south Services Co Ltd of Phuket] will have to pay fines before they may take possession of the the cargo and take it out of Thailand,” said Pongpan Wongwuttisak, Chief of the Suppression Division of Phuket Customs Office, in March.

“However, Customs officials and working only on the import certificate with the false details. The Fisheries Office are also working on the cargo itself and there may be further infringements of the law found, with further fines.”

Phuket Marine Office Chief Phuriphat Teerakulpisut this morning has been unavailable for comment.

Phuket Customs officials declined to comment on the missing ship.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/navy-search-begins-after-iuu-antarctic-trawler-flees-phuket-54039.php


-- Phuket News 2015-09-10

Surely if its in international waters, no-one can do anything?

If the authorities in any of the countries involved are serious about finding it they can soon do so with some satellite photos. There has been so much pussy-footing around that the captain must be laughing out loud at them.

I would scuttle the ship with its crew aboard. They can join those groupers that they did not catch...

It has been said that a THB 500 note can make an elephant invisible in the middle of Bangkok. I wonder what it would take to make a fishing trawler disappear from a Phuket harbor without anyone noticing.

It has been said that a THB 500 note can make an elephant invisible in the middle of Bangkok. I wonder what it would take to make a fishing trawler disappear from a Phuket harbor without anyone noticing.

One of the submerged mooring posts that haunt the place?

That's the reason the Navy needs the submarines

It has been said that a THB 500 note can make an elephant invisible in the middle of Bangkok. I wonder what it would take to make a fishing trawler disappear from a Phuket harbor without anyone noticing.

Never mind setting up a Subway franchise as a retirement plan, I'm betting on a factory for making large brown envelopes. The demand is rocketing.

Should have wheel-clamped it.

Patagonian toothfish is one ugly fish but delicious. When marketed as Chilean Sea Bass it

gets top dollar and has been fished in a non-sustainable way. It went from by-catch to highly

sought after with a simple name change and a little marketing in 20 years. Oh well, I guess

they have turned of there AIS.

Smells a bit fishy to me.

It has been said that a THB 500 note can make an elephant invisible in the middle of Bangkok. I wonder what it would take to make a fishing trawler disappear from a Phuket harbor without anyone noticing.

Fuel for thought, or fuel I thought.

Was anyone watching this ship, or was it on the honor system? If anyone finds out who accepted the payment to allow it to leave, Will they be arrested on national security issues, like the good British professor?

Simple: noone wants to deal with this boat and all the mess so they let it "flee" and let it be another countries problem.

Noone can seriously believe that any countries navy would not be able to catch a trawler like this. They are not exactly tiny stealthy speed boats.

What a joke... The authorities there deserve to be put out to sea...and left there.

...I guess they knew what they were doing when they docked there....

I don't understand why this fishing boat wasn't boarded and the catch checked in Australia or new Zealand this is normal procedure when a boat is in port .

Every vessel even the smallest yacht arriving in Phuket had to be fitted with an Automatic Identification System right?

Looking at the amount of rust on that tub, its most likely sunk,

and that is why they cannot find it.

regards worgeordie

to JPINX

I'm not on board but I'm certainly laughing my head off.

Well you know how easy it is to loose things these days, a ship is no different in Thailand, instead of blaming other people why didn't Thailand confiscate the ship, and arrest the crew, oh i forgot they did half of that

An illegal muslim immigrant crosses the Thai border and the military mobilizes its armed forces, Immigration and police to catch the criminal.

An unregistered foreign fishing trawler with an illegal catch docks in Thailand and the merchants mobilize their money men.

Junta reform at its best.

This story here seems to have more details. A slightly different account to that given by a certain Phuket publication that is said to be closing on January 1 and whose links we can't post here.

“We seized the goods and later the vessel’s operator paid the fine and had right to claim their fish in accordance with the law. Under Thai customs law we can’t seize the vessel as an exhibit”, he said.

However, because the rogue fishing ship was involved in IUU fishing activities the officer said the “CCCIF had prohibited it from leaving port” under Thailand’s recently introduced port in port out (PIPO) regulations. “Until it fled Wednesday Maritime Law was being enforced”, he added.

Thailand Launches Air & Sea Hunt For Rogue Fishing Ship