At first, it was presented by the Uruguayan Navy as a case of illegal fishing by a Chinese fishing vessel. Nevertheless, the prosecutor of Flagrancia of seventh shift, Silvia Naupp, archived the investigation last week, after an internal investigation carried out by the Navy concluded that it was not possible to “reliably affirm” that the ship was “illegally fishing” in Uruguayan waters.
The summary included a report by the National Directorate of Aquatic Resources (Dinara) that stated that there was “no conclusive evidence” to determine that the Chinese vessel “incurred in illegal fishing in territorial waters.”
In that report, accessed The Observerthe dialogues between the Uruguayan vessel ROU 23 Maldonado and the Chinese fishing boat are transcribed, in which it can be read how the Uruguayan troops had serious problems putting the two boats that would take them to the fishing boat into the water, to the point that they were filled of water a couple of times, forcing them to preserve their safety before focusing on the target in the background.
In addition, the dialogues show how the Chinese ship waited for the Uruguayan forces and given the problems of the Navy boats, they reported that they would go to the port of Montevideo by order of the company. After a difficult second boarding operation, the Uruguayan Navy boarded the fishing boat, but they did not find what they were looking for.
The facts
On June 30, the Navy identified a Chinese fishing vessel that was allegedly fishing illegally in Uruguayan waters. The Uruguayan vessel ROU 23 Maldonado went out to contact him and once he found him he sent two crewed boats to board the Asian-flagged vessel.
Nevertheless, one of them had an engine failure and began to fill with water. The Navy had to focus on solving the problems, while communication with the Chinese ship was difficult.
The Navy ensures based on radio communications that the fishing boat understood the provisions and even coordinated the inspection. Furthermore, the Chinese ship remained in the detained place for a time, but left after the Uruguayan navy had problems.
On the other hand, the Chinese fishing boat has another hypothesis about why it left for Montevideo and did not wait for the visit crew to be carried out. He said that when they were intercepted, the Navy ship did not have the satellite identification system turned on, that due to poor visibility they did not identify that they were Uruguayan naval personnel, that they did not “understand” that they were going to be boarded, and that for security reasons they did not allow the visit.
“They are repairing the engine that won’t start on the second boat…”, explained the Uruguayan sailors in an internal dialogue. “We’re all holding down boat number two so it doesn’t go away.. But, it is getting complicated”, recognized the Uruguayans. “Commander, they are leaving, they are escaping”said one afterwards.
The Uruguayans knew that the Chinese ship was going to Montevideo, but first they had to get the people in the boats back on board the ROU 23.
Diego Battiste
The Navy authorities explained the procedure
“First you have to look for the boats that are lying there.” “As soon as the people are ready, we follow them to Montevideo”they said in reference to the Asian boat, which in the first instance had established that it would go to the port.
From the Chinese ship, although they understood that the sailors presented themselves as the National Navy and responded with a location through which they could board it, they later made reference to the fact that their company did not approve of the procedure.
By the time they managed to get the boats back to ROU 23, the Asian boat had already left. “The Commander said to follow him.” “We follow him,” says a Uruguayan voice.
Second try
14 hours later, with both boats on board, another order came to the Chinese ship to stop. The captain of the fishing boat pointed out that with the light of day they identified the ship, stopped machines and allowed the visit. But this time the one that had problems was the main boat, the ROU 23.
“Commander, it went out, there we are only with the starboard axis (…) one of the generators went out,” says one of the Uruguayan troops. After making several maneuvers around the Chinese ship to board it, again inconveniences.
“This canister won’t start, we’re going to remove the spark plug but it’s not starting.”
Finally, after solving these problems, the Uruguayan troops inform the Chinese (who already had their engines off) that they will board them. But after achieving the boarding, they did not find the fish. Only when they arrived in Montevideo and a second inspection was carried out were 12,460 kilos of squid found. But after the internal investigation, the Justice found no evidence that they had been fished illegally.
