MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Armed Australian patrolling in Southern Ocean

Australia will boost the protection of its sovereign interests with full-time armed patrols of the remote and ecologically sensitive Southern Ocean, the Australian Government announced this week.

The Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, Senator Ian Macdonald, and the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, said the Australian Customs Service will lease an ice-strengthened ship on an ongoing, full-time basis for surveillance and enforcement patrols ? primarily in the Southern Ocean.

The ship will carry a deck mounted .50 calibre machine gun, a Customs boarding party armed with handguns, Australian Fisheries Officers and a civilian steaming party (merchant mariners able to crew apprehended illegal vessels). It will conduct patrols of Australian waters surrounding Heard Island and McDonald Island, and will be able to operate year-round in virtually all weather conditions.

While the primary purpose of the Southern Ocean patrols will be to detect and apprehend illegal fishing vessels targeting the valuable Patagonian toothfish, its presence will also send a strong message that Australia will not tolerate any breaches of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or its Marine Reserves, wherever they may occur.

There are strong links suggesting organised international criminal involvement in toothfish poaching. The introduction of a permanent, armed patrol capability significantly increases the risk of detection and prosecution for those that seek to fund, organise or otherwise support poaching activity. It also makes clear Australia is prepared to lead the international fight to stop illegal fishing. The recent pursuit and apprehension of the alleged illegal fishing vessel Viarsa 1, a matter currently before the courts, shows that the Australian Government takes this issue very seriously. We are determined to bring to justice those who ignore Australian sovereignty and laws and their international responsibilities. The pursuit and apprehension of the Viarsa 1 was a tribute to the seamanship and dedication of civilian mariners, Customs and Fisheries officers.

This announcement ensures all future operations will have the ability to take immediate action should our patrol vessel encounter ships in breach of Australian and international laws. The chartered Customs vessel is expected to be released for other Customs and Fisheries tasks when not on station in the Southern Ocean. When combined with the existing Customs National Marine Unit fleet of eight purpose-built patrol vessels operating around the Australian coastine, this will significantly boost Australia's overall maritime border protection.

Australia will continue to work closely with other nations who are committed to protecting Southern Ocean fisheries, including South Africa, France, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

In particular, this new initiative complements the treaty recently signed with France on cooperative surveillance in the Southern Ocean in the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around Heard Island and McDonald Islands and France's EEZ around Kerguelen Island.

It also highlights Australia's leading role in the International Ministerial Taskforce set up to address Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing issues chaired by the United Kingdom Minister Elliott Morley which was established earlier this month.

Australia will continue to work bilaterally and through forums such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) to build and strengthen the compliance and enforcement framework in the Southern and Indian Ocean.