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South Africa has seized four Chinese fishing vessels that entered its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) without proper authorisation, prompting a coordinated response from multiple agencies.
The vessels, owned by Shenzhen Shuiwan Pelagic Fisheries, were detained and placed under guard in Cape Town, according to South Africa’s Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment Minister, Willie Aucamp, in a statement on Thursday.
The incident began on February 23 when the vessels requested “innocent passage” through South African waters, stating they would depart by March 3. However, the ships later sought authorisation to operate beyond port limits, which required proper documentation that they failed to provide.
In addition, during their stay in South Africa’s EEZ, the vessels repeatedly turned off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponders, making their movements harder to track.
Despite these efforts to evade detection, the ships were soon identified within 12 nautical miles off the coast of KwaZulu‑Natal, before being tracked moving south along the Eastern Cape shoreline. Authorities acted swiftly, confirming that South Africa would not tolerate the unlawful use of its maritime zones.
Minister Aucamp expressed the nation’s commitment to defending its territorial integrity, saying that, “South Africa will not tolerate the unlawful use of its maritime zones.”
The four vessels were fined 400,000 rands (approximately $24,000), which was promptly paid. After the fine, the vessels were released and have since departed South African waters.
