Four foreign nationals appear on charges of illegal fishing

Three Chinese men and one Angolan national made their second appearance in the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday after being accused of fishing illegally in Namibian waters and failing to produce a valid fishing licence.

Caifang Qui, Shenger Lui, Weng Haiping and Victor da Silva appeared on several charges. These include allowing a vessel in Namibian waters without fishing gear being dismantled, stowed or secured. They are also accused of harvesting marine resources without a valid licence as well as violating the Immigration Control Act without complying with legal requirements under the Act and related maritime laws.

The men were arrested after the Namibian navy intercepted and apprehended the vessel, FU YUAN YU 9878, on 17 May during a routine patrol in the northern maritime border region.

The navy explained that its flagship, NS Elephant, intercepted and apprehended the vessel, which was allegedly engaged in the unauthorised harvesting of an unspecified fish species at the time. This was reportedly evidenced by a full net of catch and the absence of a valid permit.

"Documentary violations included the captain’s inability to produce a valid licence, and it was determined that the vessel’s automatic identification system (AIS) had been intentionally deactivated prior to the interception," a statement noted.

The crew consisted of 22 men, including four Chinese nationals and 18 Angolan nationals.

State prosecutor Annakleta Kandjimi continued to oppose bail, citing the accused as a flight risk, the seriousness of the offence, and the possibility of interference with investigations.

Magistrate Ivan Gawanab postponed the matter to 18 June for further investigation.