Kasu: Fishing boats ‘commiting crime’

 FOREIGN fishing vessels are suspected of facilitating transnational crime in Papua New Guinea when refuelling from tankers on high seas outside the 200-mile maritime economical zone, National Fisheries Authority managing director John Kasu says. 

During a function for Pacific Island Forum officials last week, Kasu claimed that vessels registered by the PNG Government to legitimately operate in PNG waters seem to be facilitating the smuggling of drugs, firearms , beche de mers (sea cucumbers), endangered flora and fauna, human trafficking and money laundering.

 “Such Illegal, unmonitored and unreported activities are taking place when these vessels go out on the high seas to refuel from tankers. They (the vessels owners) bring these tankers in and rather then coming in to the local ports to refuel, vessels go outside the EZ and refuel there. 

“PNG is losing revenue because when the bunker (refuelling) is done at our local ports, it will create spinoff business benefits for the locals.”

Kasu said PNG had no monitoring system to check such activities on the high seas.