Sea Shepherd hunts Interpol-wanted poacher that escaped Phuket
Phuket Gazette


Sea Shepherd’s flagship, the Steve Irwin will depart from Melbourne, Australia in December to patrol the “shadowlands” of the Southern Ocean. Photo: Simon Ager

PHUKET: -- The hunt is back on for the internationally black-listed illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing vessel that slipped through the fingers of Phuket officials earlier this year, confirmed Captain Siddharth Chakravarty of the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin.

“The summer fishing season for toothfish starts now, so we have launched this campaign before the Kunlun can do further damage,” Capt Chakravarty told the Phuket Gazette this morning.

The ship, which had recently changed its name from Kunlun to Taishan, was apprehended in Phuket after it falsely reported offloading 182 tonnes of illegally caught Patagonian toothfish, valued at 179 million baht, as 182 tonnes of grouper, valued at just 15mn baht (story here). However, after months of detention, the ship was able to flee the port it was moored at in Phuke.

“Finding a vessel such as the Kunlun, once it had escaped, was like finding a needle in a haystack. Even with modern satellite technology and intelligence sharing, there remain enough avenues for such repeat offenders to disappear,” Capt Chakravarty said. “Thailand took the first step and that was to arrest the vessel, detain her in port and aid the investigations into the vessel’s operations.”

“More can and must be done, but the responsibility must be shared by all countries involved, including those that consume the fish, and not left to be borne by the trading countries alone.”

Full story: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Sea-Shepherd-hunts-Interpolwanted-poacher-escaped-Phuket/62320?desktopversion#ad-image-0


-- Phuket Gazette 2015-11-09

I can see a new reality TV series.

It’s not only the missing vessel that smells fishy here!

A previous report by Phuket Gazette (PG), dated 10 September, quoted an apparently stunned Charoen Chamniklang, Thai Customs Investigation and Suppression Bureau team leader, as saying, “The ship is gone, it just disappeared in the blink of an eye.”

Also gone is its cargo of 182 tonnes of illegally caught Patagonian toothfish, valued at 179 million baht. Various reports have this cargo being offloaded and sent to Songkhla to be shipped overseas, but its whereabouts after being offloaded seem pretty sketchy.

According to PG on 18 March, the vessel arrived at the Phuket Deep Sea Port and passed through customs with no issues, “as they presented all the legally required documents”. However, after Australian authorities contacted the Thai Customs Department, authorities here recalled the shipment from Songkhla and discovered the fish species had been falsely reported. Note: Three Phuket Customs Officials were transferred out of the province following the vessels escape in September.

PG also reported that the vessel owner, Stanley Management Inc, was contacted, as was the local handler South Services Co Ltd, to determine their role, if any, in the deceit at customs. So far, the Peruvian captain, Jose Alberto Zavaleta Salas, and South Service Co Ltd, were fined 51,000 baht by the Customs Department in June

What happened to the cargo after that is a mystery worthy of its own news report – just like the vessel, it too "just disappeared in the blink of an eye”, (all 179 million baht of it)!

Smells fishy to me.

“Thailand took the first step and that was to arrest the vessel, detain her in port and aid the investigations into the vessel’s operations.”

Then they took their next step, the usual step, unknown people made a lot of money and let her go. Pity the Phuket Gazette cannot employ qualified journalists to write a whole story.

And how it escaped from Phuket, what happened to the cargo, why no quick chase by Thai authorities all conveniently forgotten and unanswered.

Good to see corruption being cleaned up so thoroughly.

I've liked the Sea Shepherd Society for many years, donate every year, been to their headquarters in the San Juan's and upon my death they will receive 20% of my estate.
I like that they're a little rough around the edges... suits me fine. No other person or organization is taking direct action against those illegally fishing or killing the marine mammals in the oceans.

Just google for youtube videos regarding the dolphin kills using purse seine nets to get tuna... if you're ok with that then I expect you to reply negatively to my post...

For educational purposes, google cod fisheries of northeast canada 1992. This is what's happened and it's going to keep happening until there is total depletion. I won't be around when that happens, but those of you that have kids or grandkids consider the effects.

There, I've had my time on the soap box... time for a beer and dinner..., no not fish....5555

It is obvious why that ship escaped the thai authorities... and they were transferred.

Edited November 9, 201510 yr by Nowisee

I can see a new reality TV series.

Patagonian Tooth Fish Wars -

Follow the trials and tribulations of a bunch of incompetent hippies as they fake being shot in an attempt to generate media interest and more donations while burning tons of fuel in order to 'save the oceans'. All the while, achieving nothing.

What will they do if they find her. She will just "do a runner" which she has done several times before .

A fishy story.

The real answer to these illegal fishing boats is to incarcerate them in "Davey Jones" locker after casting the crews adrift in a decent lifeboat.

how did it get out of phuket unseen

Lost track of the Sea Shepard but I used to watch their show a number of years ago, which was them chasing down and attempting to interrupt Japanese whaling vessels from doing their thing. Frankly, I'm surprised that vessel is still afloat and/or nobody's been killed through sheer incompetence.

However, I always appreciated the David and Goliath aspect of what they were trying to accomplish.

Why not sink her

Either very lack security or a lot of tea money. How sad Phuket let a vessel of this size escape! Only in Thailand can these things happen!