Illegal foreign fishing vessel apprehended west of Darwin in waters off coast of Western Australia

By Baird Maritime - November 13, 2018.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Ken Hodge – An ABF Cape-class patrol boat similar to the one that made the November 7 interception

An Indonesian fishing vessel and its crew of five men were apprehended off the coast of Western Australia, suspected of illegally fishing in Australian waters.

The apprehension was made by the Maritime Border Command (MBC), a multi-agency task force within the Australian Border Force (ABF), working in cooperation with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).

An MBC surveillance aircraft sighted the vessel on November 7, and later that day, it was intercepted and boarded by officers aboard ABF Cutter Cape Jervis.

The vessel was intercepted about 80 nautical miles inside Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, approximately 100 nautical miles from the Western Australian coastline, at Cape Londonderry.

A search of the vessel located a small quantity of fish and fishing equipment on board. The vessel was unseaworthy and could not be towed safely to shore.

As a result, the apprehended vessel was destroyed at sea.

The AFMA will investigate any breaches of the Australian Fisheries Management Act 1991.