Atlantic Dawn in Mauritania stand-off: ThePost.ie


TCH Archives > Sunday Business Post > 2006/02/19 > Atlantic Dawn in Mauritania stand-off

Atlantic Dawn in Mauritania stand-off
Sunday, February 19, 2006 - By Pieter Tesch and Ed Micheau
Talks between EU officials and the west African state of Mauritania about Irish fishing rights broke down this weekend.

Atlantic Dawn, the supertrawler owned by Donegal man Kevin McHugh, was involved in a stand-off with Mauritania after being fined almost $100,000.

The fine was imposed last autumn after the Mauritanian navy boarded Atlantic Dawn for allegedly operating inside an exclusion zone. McHugh’s company rejects the allegation and claims that a number of European factory ships have been victims of increased piracy since a military coup in Mauritania last summer led to the creation of a junta government.

‘‘In September, the Atlantic Dawn was boarded by the Mauritanian Fisheries Patrol for the fifth time in a month,” said Niall O’Gorman, finance director at Atlantic Dawn, which runs the ship.

‘‘They demanded money and also huge quantities of fish.

“The captain refused. He was then notified that he was being detained for fishing inside the permitted limits. The captain denied the allegation, but the vessel was detained. We were not allowed to be present or represented at a hearing, where the vessel was fined.

‘‘The fine was the same as fines imposed on many, if not all, of the other large EU vessels working there. There is no due process or appeals procedure.”

Atlantic Dawn was withdrawn from the region and the company is waiting for the outcome of talks between EU negotiators and the Mauritanian government.

Speaking to The Sunday Business Post, the Mauritanian fisheries minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Sidina said Atlantic Dawn was not welcome in his country’s waters because of a history of alleged infringements. ‘‘The EU is stressing to introduce Atlantic Dawn to Mauritanian waters under a new fisheries agreement,” he said.

‘‘It is putting pressure on us to accept her in the EU fleet, but we don’t want her. Mauritania is also seeking a substantial increase in EU payments for the right of its vessels to fish in Mauritanian waters. It currently pays €84 million a year for the rights.”

O’Gorman said Atlantic Dawn would only return to the area under the protection of an EU agreement.