Photo: Mongabay Latam/FIS
OPINION: Peru gives Chinese ships an alternative that would allow them to evade the rule requiring the installation of a satellite monitoring system
PERU
Friday, October 04, 2024, 03:00 (GMT + 9)
The following is an excerpt from an article published by Mongabay Latam:
- The Peruvian government published a supreme decree that toughens the monitoring of foreign ships that enter the Peruvian sea and use its ports.
- The measure comes after harsh criticism of the government by fishermen and experts in fisheries matters, for allowing Chinese-flagged ships that use Peruvian ports to not install the satellite system required by the rule.
- Specialists warn, however, that the supreme decree leaves new windows open for Chinese ships to continue evading the law.
Like every year, hundreds of Chinese ships are at the limit of the Peruvian territorial sea fishing for squid or giant squid. They began to arrive in March, when they left the vicinity of the exclusive economic zone of the Galapagos Islands and headed south.
Their presence has sparked protests by artisanal fishermen who claim that these vessels illegally fish for squid in the Peruvian sea, and that they are responsible for the current shortage of this resource.
Although the Peruvian Navy and the Ministry of Production have denied these claims, the truth is that some 300 Chinese-flagged ships have entered Peruvian territory to use the country's ports in the last three years. The problem is that they have done so in violation of the rule that, in 2020, established that all foreign ships using Peruvian ports must carry the Peruvian satellite tracking system known as SISESAT.
Photo: Sea Shepherd
The objective of this rule is to allow Peruvian authorities to know more precisely what the route and movements of the ship were, something key considering the bad reputation that the Chinese fleet has for cases of illegal fishing and forced labor. However, already in 2022, fishermen and experts in fisheries issues in Peru warned that the law was not being complied with. The Chinese fleet is “dodging satellite monitoring by Peruvian authorities,” they said.
Last September, Artisonal, the consulting firm specializing in fishing issues that monitors the arrival of Chinese vessels to Peruvian ports, registered a record of 30 Chinese-flagged vessels anchored in the port of Callao. None had SISESAT installed, although at least one of them has a history of illegal fishing and two of forced labor, Artisonal specialists said.
To address the problem and ensure that vessels comply with regulations, on September 26, the Ministry of Production (Produce) published a supreme decree that seeks to toughen the monitoring of foreign vessels entering the Peruvian sea and using its ports.
Experts, however, warn that this supreme decree leaves new windows open for Chinese vessels to continue evading the norm.
A rule that is not enforced
There are three main reasons why Chinese-flagged ships have entered Peruvian ports in recent years. One of them, which was the most frequent in the first months of 2023, is forced arrival, used in cases of emergency such as health problems in the crew or serious technical failures of the ship. In that case, all coastal countries must accept the entry of the vessel, however, for specialists this reason always raised suspicions since before the entry into force of the rule, no ship in the Chinese fleet had made a forced arrival in Peruvian ports. The other two reasons used by almost all vessels entering Peruvian ports are crew change and renewal of certificates.
According to the Ministry of Production, the regulations do not apply when a ship uses a port to change crew or renew certificates, although this argument has been continuously refuted by experts and lawyers consulted by Mongabay Latam, who assure that these figures are also included in the reasons for the obligation to use the satellite monitoring system.
ZHOU 8. Photo: Marine Traffic
The supreme decree, published last September, puts an end to this disagreement of opinions and clarifies the rules, while tightening satellite monitoring of ships so that, finally, the norm is complied with.
In this sense, Eloy Aroni, representative of Artisonal, explains that now, when a foreign ship uses a Peruvian port for any reason, it will be mandatory to carry the SISESAT. Even if a ship must make a forced arrival to the coasts of Peru, “at the end of the reason for forced arrival, if the ship plans to do any other activity in port, it must comply with installing the system,” says Aroni.
Compliance with the law has been a constant demand by Peruvians, particularly artisanal fishermen who are dedicated to catching squid and who see these vessels as threatening competition.
And there are several Chinese vessels that have arrived at Peruvian ports in recent years and that have a history of illegal fishing. Of the latest vessels registered by Artisonal in the port of Callao, the MING ZHOU 8 alone has a history of illegal fishing in Argentina, and the FU YUAN YU 7869, as well as the MING XIANG 818, have a history of forced labor, the consultant assures.
However, the recently published supreme decree contemplates an alternative to foreign vessels that was not previously considered and that, according to experts, will allow vessels to continue to fail to comply with the law.
An option that benefits Chinese ships
The alternative that the Peruvian government offers to foreign vessels that want to use Peruvian ports is that, instead of acquiring and installing the Peruvian satellite tracking system SISESAT, they homologate the satellite systems of their countries of origin with that of Peru.[continues....]
Author: Michelle Carrere | Read the full article by clicking the link here
This article represents the opinion of the author. The opinion articles published do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of this media. Fish Info & Services is an independent media, open to the opinion of its readers. If you wish to publish, contact us at [email protected]
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