Sri Lankan-flagged boat intercepted in Seychelles' waters for illegal fishing
General |Author: Betymie Bonnelame | March 14, 2020, Saturday @ 07:30| 5598 views
The first Sri Lankan fishing boat intercepted in 2020 by the Seychelles Coast Guard in February. (Seychelles People's Defence Forces)
(Seychelles News Agency) - The Seychelles Coast Guard has intercepted a Sri Lankan-flagged fishing boat suspected of fishing illegally in the island nation's waters.
According to a communique from the Seychelles People's Defence Forces, the boat was located by Seychelles Air Force aircraft and intercepted by the patrol ship Etoile Friday morning.
The interception was the result of a joint patrol of the Seychelles Fisheries Authority, the Seychelles Coast Guard and the Seychelles Air Force.
The boat was escorted to Port Victoria and was to arrive Saturday morning.
This is the second Sri Lankan vessel intercepted in the waters of Seychelles. Seven fishermen are being detained while an investigation is carried out after their vessel was intercepted on suspicion of fishing illegally on February 26.
Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, has a vast Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 million square kilometres which presents a challenge when it comes to the monitoring of illegal activities in its waters.