Soyo – An industrial vessel was seized, on Monday, by personnel from the Northern Naval Region Command of the Angolan Navy (MGA) located in the municipality of Soyo, Zaire Province, for fishing in areas close to oil platforms.
According to the command's spokesman, frigate lieutenant Paulo Kassanga, the national flag ship, called “Ntotela” was found fishing in areas close to the probes, more specifically in block 16, 22 nautical miles from the coast.
According to the source, who spoke to the press on Tuesday, it is suspected that the crew used a net with fine mesh, also known as a double bag net, forbidden in Angola waters' industrial fishing.
She said that, on board, there were 15 people, 13 Angolans and 2 Chinese citizens, and around 85 boxes of different types of fish.
The spokesperson said that a multisectoral commission will decide the destiny of the ship, reiterating the call for shipowners to respect the safety limits of oil platforms when carrying out fishing activities.
PMV/JL/CF/jmc
