| 2005-00-00: |
Uit Greenpeace: Case studies on IUU Vessels no. 1 March 2005. The secret Shame of the ANUVA: On March 9, 1963 in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, the trawler, VL73 Elly, (today called the Anuva) was launched. She was the first of a series of five trawlers. She was ordered and built for the fishing company W. Kwakkelstein based in
Vlaardingen, in the Netherlands. She worked until 1979 when she was laid up as a
result of a subsidized reduction in the Dutch fishing fleet.1 In 1980 she changed owners to the Panama registered company Harford Shipping SA2 and was re-flagged to Panama. Information on the vessel’s activities between 1980 and 1987 is scant. Lloyds information on the vessel for this time period is also inconsistent. However, on January 1, 1987 the trawler was registered as operated by Julian Alvarez Gonzalez, a company registered in Vigo, Spain. On March 30, of the same year, the Anuva renamed Elly, sailed from Ijmuiden in the Netherlands The Anuva is currently classified with Germanischer Lloyd. The records show she has had 2 major conversions: one in 1980 and another in 1988. In fact her whole superstructure is different with the bridge moved forward, a new top deck and a new stern gantry,3 as is clearly visible in the photograph above. The ownership, flag, name and operator of the Anuva has changed numerous times since 1963 (see table below). The only consistent factor appears to be, that after
the vessel was sold in the Netherlands, the operators have all been based in the port
of Vigo, Spain and she is flagged by known “flag of convenience” nations.
Owner, Flag and Operator History of the Anuva
Date Name Flag Owner Operator 4
1963 VL74 Elly Netherlands Visserij Mij. W. Kwakkelstein Visserij Mij. W. Kwakkelstein
1980 Elly Panama Harford Shipping, Panama Julian Alvarez Gonzalez, Spain
1993 Albri II Belize Blue Tide Corp, Belize Blue Tide S.L., Spain
1995 Albri II Unknown Blue Tide Corp, Belize Blue Tide S.L., Spain
1997 High Sierra Unknown Blue Tide Corp, Belize Blue Tide S.L., Spain
1998 High Sierra Sierra Leone Blue Tide Corp, Belize Blue Tide S.L., Spain
1999 High Sierra Sierra Leone Blue Tide Corp, Belize Pesquera Albri SA, Spain
1999 Albri II Belize Blue Tide Corp, Belize Pesquera Albri SA, Spain
2000 Albri II Sierra Leone Blue Tide Corp, Belize Pesquera Albri SA, Spain
2000 Anuva Lithuania Blue Tide Corp, Belize Pesquera Albri SA, Spain
2001 Anuva Lithuania “JSC” Anuva, Lithuania Pesquera Albri SA, Spain
Operating Area
Although it cannot be stated with absolute certainty it appears that the vessel has
always worked in the North Atlantic and North Sea. While the ship was
Dutch–owned she most likely worked the North Sea, but the conversion of the
vessel would indicate that she was fitted out for more deep sea work and the harsh
North Atlantic weather. On April 28, 1995 the Albri II was deregistered in Belize after pressure from the Canadian authorities. The vessel was suspected of illegally fishing for Greenland halibut in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) Regulatory Area.5 It is unknown which flag she was under between 1995 and 1999, but in 1999
according to Lloyd’s, Sierra Leone became her flag state, although she had already
been observed a year earlier flying the Sierra Leone flag.
Between January and April 1999, both “High Sierra” and “Albri II”- in fact the
same ship - were observed in the NAFO regulatory area again flying the Belize flag.
It was noted by NAFO that these vessels often change and re-register between a
number of countries such as Belize, Honduras and Sao Tome e Principe.6
NAFO, in its report to FAO of 6 May 1999, states that as a practical outcome of their
efforts to curb IUU fishing, the vessel "Albri II” of Belize, was identified in the port
of Torshavn, the Faroes Islands (12 February 1999) by the Faroes Inspection Unit,
and prohibited from discharging its fish product.7
During 1998 and 1999, NAFO diplomatic demarches regarding this vessel were
delivered to Honduras and Panama (by Canada); to Belize (by USA) and to Sierra
Leone (jointly by Canada and USA). In addition, Canada reported the delivery of a
Canadian demarche to Sao Tomé e Principe.8
In 2001, the North East Atlantic Fishing Convention (NEAFC) began identifying IUU
vessels fishing in their area of competence after it became apparent that vessels
were moving between the NAFO and NEAFC areas. The NEAFC activity on IUU
vessels is limited, as it only focuses on the activities of those vessels operating in the
area that are flagged to Non-Contracting Parties (NCP). Since NCPs are not bound
by NEAFC’s Convention, their activities are unregulated.
The Anuva was observed as the Albri II, fishing in the NEAFC area in August 1999.
She was noted as flagless after a search of the registries in Belize, Sierra Leone and
Honduras showed no registration.9 The Anuva was observed bottom trawl fishing on the high seas of NE Atlantic in early November 2004 by the Greenpeace ship Esperanza. Greenpeace photographers also documented the contents of the Anuva’s nets, which included pieces of coral. At the time the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries confirmed that the vessel had been blacklisted in the Norwegian EEZ. |
