The master of the 'Rio Da Bouza' has been convicted of illegal fishing activities after pleading guilty at Macroom District Court on Sep 11, 2024. The vessel was detained at Castletownbere on Sep 9 following an inspection by Sea-Fisheries Protection Officers from the Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA). During the court hearing, evidence was presented showing that the officers detected several infringements, including the under-recording of sole and monkfish, failure to separately stow these species, and the unauthorised freezing of fish. The master of the Rio Da Bouza pleaded guilty to all six charges and was fined €3,000 for under-recording sole, with the remaining charges taken into consideration by the judge.
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MATILDE A
Turkey refused to allow the European Maritime Operation IRINI team to inspect the 'Matilde A' in accordance with Security Council Resolution No. 2292/2016 on the arms embargo on Libya, which was heading to Libya.on the night of Sep 8, 2024. The operation was launched on March 31, 2020 following the first Berlin Conference on Libya. It was mandated by the European Council to carry out as its core task the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Libya in resolution 2292 of 2016 and resolution 2526 of 2020, which are binding for all EU Member States. This was the 12th time that Turkey has prevented an IRINI team from boarding a merchant ship. Turkey blames IRINI of besieging the interim Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli. The operation had shared dozens of special reports with the UN Panel of Experts on Libya. Most of these reports referred to violations or possible violations of the arms embargo and oil smuggling activities in the west and in the east of the country. The operation aims to counter illicit arms trafficking, supporting the implementation of the arms embargo on Libya based on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, to gather intelligence on oil smuggling, in particular its impact on the Libyan economy and its possible use to finance the arms market; to contribute to the disruption of the business model of migrant smuggling by gathering intelligence by air and sharing it with Frontex and relevant national authorities; to support the development of the search and rescue capacity of relevant Libyan institutions through training.
GEO BARENTS
The international aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders - MSF) on Sep 11 obtained the release of the 'Geo Barents', which was handed a 60-day detention order, for allegedly failing to properly coordinate with Italian and Libyan authorities as it picked up migrants off Libya on Aug. 23. A court in Salerno, the southern Italian port where the vessel had been blocked, suspended the measure, which was the third against the vessel, and the longest to date. MSF International President Christos Christou travelled to Salerno to support the organisation's appeal against it. Christou dismissed government charges against the MSF ship, saying it had been "waiting for instructions" as it approached a migrant boat, and spontaneously picked up its passengers after they jumped into the sea.
EXPEDITION
A Filipino woman reported having been raped by her father on board the 'Expedition', which has been moored for months in the port of Fray Bentos, on Aug 25, 2024. On Sep 10, the communications department of the National Navy reported the case. The Fray Bentos Prefecture went to the ship to consult the captain and collect the victim's complaint. Both are Filipino nationals and members of the ship's crew. The woman was taken to the local hospital for evaluation and forensic tests ordered by the prosecutor will be performed. Meanwhile, the Scientific Police Headquarters of Río Negro carried out an inspection at the place where the events occurred.
CARTHAGE
A 65-year-old man who suffered a heart attack on board the 'Carthage' was rescued by the Cagliari Coast Guard during the night of Sep 10, 2024, while the ship wasd sailing on the Tunis-Genoa route. He felt ill when the ship was about 40 miles south of Cape Carbonara. The captain raised the alarm, and the Nemo Aw139 helicopter of the Decimomannu Coast Guard was sent to the scene. Hoisting the man was not easy due to the strong Mistral wind of about 45 knots, the rough sea of force 5-6 and the night. After he was winched on board the helicopter, he was taken to the Brotzu Hospital in Cagliari.