Four Chinese vessels intercepted in South African waters
South Africa has seized four Chinese fishing vessels after they entered Mzansi's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) without authorisation.
South Africa has seized four Chinese fishing vessels after they entered Mzansi’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) without authorisation, prompting a multi-agency response.
The vessels – Zhong Yang 231, Zhong Yang 232, Zhong Yang 233, and Zhong Yang 239 – owned by Shenzhen Shuiwan Pelagic Fisheries, were stopped and placed under guard in Cape Town, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Willie Aucamp said in a statement on Thursday.
Switched off responders
The ships requested “innocent passage” on 23 February, saying they would leave South African waters by 3 March, but days later sought off‑port limits authorisation without the required documents, he said.
During the period they repeatedly switched off their automatic identification system transponders while already moving inside South Africa’s territorial waters.
They were detected inside 12 nautical miles off the KwaZulu‑Natal coast and later tracked moving south along the Eastern Cape shoreline.
Fined and left
“South Africa will not tolerate the unlawful use of its maritime zones,” said Minister Aucamp.
“We remain resolute in safeguarding our marine resources and ensuring that our ports are not perceived as ports of convenience. Compliance with our laws is non-negotiable.”
They were fined R400 000 ($24 000), which was promptly paid, and the Chinese vessels were released and have since left South African waters.
This article has been sourced from various publicly available news platforms around the world. All intellectual property rights remain with the original publishers and authors. Unshared News does not claim ownership of the content and provides it solely for informational and educational purposes voluntarily. If you are the rightful owner and believe this content has been used improperly, please contact us for prompt removal or correction.
