News
Two boats from Sri Lanka intercepted in waters of Seychelles
08 Nov, 2018
The captain of a Sri Lankan-flagged vessel appeared in court?Tuesday?after being arrested for allegedly fishing illegally in the waters of Seychelles, while a second captain is being investigated after two boats were intercepted by the Seychelles Coast Guard, the Seychelles News Agency reported.
The announcement of the interception of two foreign fishing vessels by the?Seychelles Coast Guard?(SCG) was made by the?Seychelles People?s Defence Forces?on?Friday. The two Sri Lankan-flagged vessels?were first spotted by?local fishermen around 90 nautical miles south-east of Mahe, the main island.
The two vessels were intercepted by the?Seychelles Coast Guard?s patrol ship Topaz and patrol boat La Fleche. The vessels were handed over to the Seychelles Fisheries Authority and the police upon arrival in Port Victoria on?November 2.
According to the?Seychelles Fisheries Authority?(SFA), the captain of one of the vessels appeared in court?on Tuesday and will remain in custody until?November 19.
The authorities are still investigating to see if there is enough evidence for a case against the captain of the other Sri Lankan-flagged vessel.
The?Seychelles Fisheries Authority?is assisting the police in gathering evidence as to the species and amount of fish found onboard the two vessels.
If confirmed the case would be the third incidence of illegal fishing by Sri Lankan-flagged vessels in the waters of Seychelles this year. (Colombo Gazette)
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