Branding the illegal cargo vessel Binar 4 - full of fish taken from Guinean waters

Las Palmas, March 12th 2006: Greenpeace activists have gone aboard an illegal cargo vessel full of fish taken from Guinean waters. Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) have been following the Binar 4 for the last six days from West Africa to Europe and the activists will continue to "police" the vessel until Spanish authorities confiscate its illegal cargo. While the ship was waiting to enter port it was branded a pirate with the slogan "Stolen Fish" painted five times across both sides of the hull.

The Binar 4 was documented by the environmental and human rights groups on April 6th, illegally transferring fish caught in Guinean waters. The Greenpeace ship MY Esperanza then followed it to Las Palmas, where it intended to launder the fish through the port and onto the European market.

"The Guinean authorities have confirmed this ship broke the law. We will ensure that no further laws are broken before the authorities in Las Palmas confiscate the stolen fish on board," said Sarah Duthie, Oceans campaigner for Greenpeace.

More than 11,000 boxes of fish are on the Binar 4, taken from one of the poorest regions in the world and the only place where fish consumption is falling. The authorities in Las Palmas have so far refused to authorize the landing of the illegal catch.

"We are encouraged to see that Spain and Guinea have taken action against this vessel and we hope that this is the beginning of a more effective cooperation to improve control of pirate fishing vessels attempting to enter Las Palmas," said Helene Bours of the Environmental Justice Foundation.

For the last three weeks Greenpeace and the EJF have carried out a joint investigation in West Africa during which over 100 vessels were documented. The evidence gathered suggests that almost half the vessels observed were engaged in, or linked to illegal fishing activities.

Guinea coast: Chinese fishing boats illegally transfering fish on to Binar 4

Madrid, Spain, 10th March 2006: As a pirate fishing vessel loaded with fish stolen from West Africa makes its way towards Las Palmas, Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) this morning presented evidence to the Fisheries Ministry in Madrid, outlining why the authorities should ban the ship from the port when it arrives - in two or three days time.

The environmental and human rights groups documented the refrigerated cargo ship, Binar 4 (1) four days ago, transshipping fish in international waters. The fish had been caught in Guinean waters, and therefore should only have been transshipped in the port of Conakry according to Guinean law (2). The reefer is headed for Las Palmas, a port notorious for allowing pirate vessels to offload stolen fish, with the Greenpeace ship M.Y Esperanza following behind.

"This is Spain's chance to prove they are serious about making piracy history," said Sebastian Losada of Greenpeace Spain, after delivering the documents to officials in Madrid. "If they do not act, they will become partners in crime with the pirates."

During the time spent by the Esperanza was in West Africa, Greenpeace and EJF witnessed 104 foreign flagged vessels, from Korea, China, Italy, Liberia and Belize. The evidence gathered suggests that 50% of the vessels observed were engaged in, or linked to illegal fishing activities, including fishing without a license, operating with no name or hiding their identity, trawling inside the 12-mile zone restricted to local fishermen, or transshipping anywhere other than the Guinean capital Conakry. The Binar 4 was taking fish from ships licensed to fish, but all the vessels involved had broken the laws concerning transshipments.

"In the past few weeks we have begun to unravel the web of deceit around pirate fishing," said Greenpeace campaigner Sarah Duthie, from on board the Esperanza. "The way the legal and illegal ships work together is designed to deceive, but in the end it is a simple case of stealing food from others."

"Unless there is concrete and sustained action against pirate fishing by all governments the problem will continue to grow," warned Helene Bours of Environmental Justice Foundation. "Local communities and the environment will not survive unless the pirate fishing industry is wiped out."(3)

Notes:

1. http://www.greenpeace.org/binar4casestudy
2. According to Guinean law, fish can only be caught by licensed vessels and any transshipment must be done in the Port of Conakry. According to the UN FAO Model Scheme for Port Control, pirate fishing vessels or those supporting them should be denied access to ports and services. Through its National Plan of Action to Fight Illegal Fishing, Spain committed to "prohibit the admission into or departure from port, the access to port services or the landing or transshipping of catches, whenever there are indications of engagement in activities of illegal fishing "
3. According to the UN High Seas Task Force on Illegal, Unreported & Unregulated (IUU or pirate) fishing, up to 20% of the global catch is taken illegally - as much as US$9 billion dollars.

Aerial view of the Chinese pirate vessel Lian Run 14 prior its arrest for fishing illegally inside the Guinean waters

Guinea, Africa: At first light yesterday morning (March 28th, 2006), the Greenpeace helicopter flew over a group of fishing vessels 60 miles off the coast of Guinea. One was not on the list of ships authorized to fish. An inflatable boat was launched from the Greenpeace ship M.Y Esperanza, taking a Guinean Navy officer and a fisheries inspector with a crew from Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation on board.

After confirming the ship, the Lian Run No 14 - one of a family of Chinese vessels observed in the area - had no license, the ship was arrested. The Esperanza will now escort her to Conakry and hand her over to officials on shore.

The captain of the Lian Run No 14 claimed documentation was lodged in Las Palmas - the fish laundering capital of the world. In addition, all the boxes being used to pack the stolen fish bore the names of other vessels, proving that even licensed vessels collaborate with the pirates to sell illegally caught fish on the market.

Happiness:The Chinese zombie ships of West Africa - read the weblog

Fish boxes with the names of seven other vessels were found on board the Lian Run No 14, proving how licensed vessels are packing their boxes with illegal catch from the Lian Run No 14.

"Today we found one pirate - but we know there is a fleet of them out here and in every other ocean, stealing fish every day," said Sarah Duthie, of Greenpeace.

"The fact that they had boxes on board destined for Europe and claimed to be represented in Las Palmas shows a clear link between the food being stolen from Africa and the fish being served on the dinner tables of Europe," said Helene Bours of the Environmental Justice Foundation.

Notes

1. Pirate fishing is Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing.
2. Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation are working together to expose the pirate fishing fleets that operate without sanction across the globe. Together the international environment and human rights organisations are demanding that governments close ports to ban pirates, deny them access to markets and prosecute companies supporting them.
3. The drive to make piracy history is the second leg of a 14-month global expedition "Defending Our Oceans", the most ambitious ship expedition ever undertaken by Greenpeace to expose the threats to the oceans and demand a global network of properly enforced marine reserves covering 40% of the worlds oceans. Greenpeace aims to gather a million Ocean Defenders by the end of the expedition in February 2007.