EU Fish Ban Blamed on Cambodian-Flagged Vessels
A ban on imports of Cambodian seafood proposed by the European Commission (E.C.) is in direct response to Cambodian-flagged vessels complicit in illegal fishing in international waters, Jean-Francois Cautain, European Union (E.U.) ambassador to Cambodia, said Wednesday. The E.C. on Tuesday announced that Cambodia was “non-cooperating in fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.” Cambodia, as well as Belize and Guinea, which will also see their fish exports banned from the European market, were warned a year ago that they had to make progress in tackling illegal fishing or be the first nations ever to be sanctioned for their noncompliance with demands to end unregulated fishing. … Despite the E.C. ban, trade relations between Europe and Cambodia will not be affected, as the country does not export seafood to the E.U., he said. The ban from Europe only harms Cambodia’s international reputation, said Nao Thouk, director-general of the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, who added that the country exports some 20,000 tons of seafood to countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, China and Russia. … Mr. Thouk also claimed that the government was not responsible for selling the Cambodian flag of convenience to foreign ships, claiming that a South Korean company was responsible for the practice. Ship owners often choose flags of convenience to avoid paying taxes and having to comply with international maritime regulations. Mr. Thouk said that he did not know which ministry or governmental body is responsible for the country’s ship registry. After Honduras and Panama, Cambodia was in 2009 the world’s third biggest supplier of a flag of convenience, with 176 fishing vessels and 24 large, refrigerated factory ships registered to the country, according to the report Lowering the Flag: Ending the use of flags of convenience by pirate fishing vessels, published by the U.K.-based Environmental Justice Foundation. … In 2012, when a Cambodian-flagged ship sank off the coast of Turkey, Cambodia’s Minister of Transport Tram Iv Teuk said that his ministry was no longer in charge of the shipping registry, as it had passed to a committee at the Council of Ministers. Asked Wednesday who is responsible for registering the country’s vessels, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan referred questions to Council of Ministers Secretary of State Takreth Samrech. When contacted, however, Mr. Samrech claimed that he did not know anything about ship registration, or of the activities of the ISROC in Busan. …
Denise Hruby
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/eu-fish-ban-blamed-on-cambodian-flagged-vessels-48065/
