Boat owners ‘not aware vessels fished illegally’ |28 February 2013

The SFA chief executive Finley Racombo said they contacted him saying the vessels were supposed to be in Madagascar and they were surprised the vessels were caught within our exclusive economic zone.

The two catamarans – which were intercepted on Friday February 22 by the Seychelles Coast Guard Vessel patrol ship – arrived at the former coastguard base early yesterday with their 22 crew members.

Mr Racombo told Nation the skippers and the common engineer for the two vessels are now in police custody awaiting prosecution, while the other crew team are under police guard on the vessels.
The two Malagasy-registered vessels were caught during a routine patrol around the outer islands, some 555 nautical miles south west of Mahé.