Fu Yuan Yu crew due in court for bail bid

The bail application of four men accused of illegally fishing in Namibian waters aboard the Fu Yuan Yu is set to begin next week on 30 June.

At their second appearance in the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court, the case of the accused – Caifang Qui, Shenger Liu, Weng Haiping and Victor Da Silva – was transferred to the regional court.

The four accused appeared in the Walvis Bay Regional Court on 19 June before regional magistrate Vicky Nicolaidis for a scheduled bail hearing.

The men face charges under the Immigration Control Act. They are accused of contravening provisions relating to the presence of foreign nationals within Namibia’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.

In addition, Qui, the first accused, faces a separate charge under the Marine Resources Regulations. The State alleges that, as the owner, lessee, charterer and/or master of the foreign fishing vessel Fu Yuan Yu, he allowed the vessel to be present in Namibian waters without its fishing gear being dismantled, stowed or otherwise secured as required by law.

All four remain in police custody.

Hefty fine

The men were arrested after the Namibian Navy intercepted their vessel and apprehended them on 17 May during a routine patrol in the northern maritime border area.

In a separate but similar matter, the Walvis Bay Regional Court on Tuesday convicted Russian national Alexander Askenov (48) of contravening the Marine Resources Act, 2000, and fined him N$450 000.

Askenov was charged with using or allowing the Namibian-flagged vessel MVF Steinsund to harvest marine resources without the required authorisation or a valid fishing licence.

The State alleged that, as the ship's captain, Askenov unlawfully allowed the harvesting of 260 tonnes of horse mackerel in Namibian waters near Walvis Bay between 1 and 6 May this year.

The horse mackerel was valued at approximately N$2.47 million.