Free at last... Fishing boat returns to UK after stand-off
A BRITISH fishing boat seized by French authorities headed home last night after an court threw out a demand for it to be held on pain of a £127,000 bail bond.
Cornelis Gert Jan, a Scottish-registered scallop dredger, was told it was free to leave the port of Le Havre a week after being impounded in the row over post-Brexit fishing licences.
Captain Jondy Ward’s lawyer Mathieu Croix said last night: “The court followed our arguments and cancelled the seizure. The boat is free to leave Le Havre immediately without having to pay any bail.”
Mr Croix, who had complained his client was “caught in a political game”, said the €150,000 (£127,000) bail bond was excessive, as the value of the produce on board was about €5,000 (£4,200).
Spat
Menna Rawlings, the UK’s ambassador to France, welcomed the release of the dredger, tweeting: “Glad to hear the Cornelis is free to leave Le Havre and that the Brits on board are on their way home tonight.”
Earlier yesterday, after a hearing in Rouen ruled a decision would be made by midnight, Mr Ward had said: “I hope to get home at some stage, today or at a later date.
“We’re kind of caught in the middle of this fishing row.”
The Irishman was arrested by French maritime police along with his crew off the Normandy coast last Wednesday. French authorities diverted them to Le Havre, saying they were fishing without the right licence. They were quizzed for hours by detectives and Mr Ward was later told he was free to leave, but he wanted to remain with his vessel.
Macduff Shellfish, the owner of the boat, said she had been fishing legally and had been caught up in the Franco-British dispute.
The focus of the spat is licences for small French boats, which are issued only if the vessels can demonstrate a history of fishing in UK waters.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who will soon have his position challenged in an election, had warned that Paris could block British boats from landing in French ports and tighten customs checks in protest against the perceived hostility.
But he suspended the threats at the 11th hour so talks could continue.