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On Friday 3 April, 6 Chinese fishing trawlers without permission entered the South African Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the Northern Cape coast. They were taken into custody and fined by South African authorities. These Chinese trawlers were sent out of the Namibian waters by the authorities after unlawfully fishing in the water.
The vessels were thoroughly checked by Operation Phakisa Initiative 5 team. After it was ascertained that there are no fishes onboard and fishing gears were properly stored, the vessels were fined and were only released after the fine was completely cleared. They were also placed on a close check by South African authorities as they sail away on the 19th and 20th of April from South Africa waters.
The Fishing vessels were allowed to stay in Algoa Bay away from the harsh weather condition as requested in a diplomatic note written by the Chinese Embassy. As the nation continues to battle with the spread of pandemic disease. Teams were gathered under Operation Phakisa along the coast to watch over South Africa’s resources at the sea.
The team is actively working and looking out for violations connected to the Marine Living Resources Act and the Road Traffic Act. Residents are admonished to reach out to the Environmental Crimes & Incidents on their hotline 0800 205 005 in case of any illegal activity along the sea or coastline.