RICHARDS Bay water-based police are on high alert after multiple sightings of illegal Chinese fishing trawlers off the coast of South Africa in the past week.
Colonel Kobus Olivier, Operations Commander of the ORS Sea Borderline unit confirmed on Tuesday that his unit was part of surveillance being conducted on the east coast.
‘The fleet shut off their AIS (Automatic Information System) units, making them difficult to find,’ he said.
The AIS identifies the name and position of the vessel, enabling tracking.
He said the fleet had scattered and was hiding in deeper waters after their presence had been discovered.
‘The present location of the ships is not known but rest assured, any vessel we locate that does not conform to legal identification and operations will be seized.
‘Long liners operating out of Richards Bay are indeed doing so legally,’ confirmed Olivier.
He urged anyone who may have sighted suspicious vessels to contact him on 082 826 8989.
Headlines
The fleet of nine vessels made headlines in the past weeks, when a sport angler noticed them disappearing and reappearing from view on a smartphone app.
The drama escalated when the vessels were spotted around Durban, Port Saint Johns and Cape Recife.
According to sister publication the South Coast Herald, sightings off the South Coast were also reported.
Following these reports, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries dispatched its patrol vessel Victoria Mxenge to investigate.
One vessel was captured while the remaining eight fled under cover of darkness last week.
The vessel was boarded but officials say no fish was found on board.
Read more here: Vessel captured after dramatic chase
