Ships seized over unauthorised retrofit

Five illegally modified fishing vessels were seized and 19 people were arrested for falsifying the vessels’ registration documents, authorities said yesterday.

Assistant national police chief, Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn said the vessels had illegally entered Thai waters from a neighbouring country with falsified documents.

The ships’ seizure followed a raid on a dockyard in tambon Hua Khao in Singha Nakhon district on Jan 2, where the vessels were being modified.

Upon inspecting the ships’ original registration documents, authorities determined the boats had been modified without authorisation from the Fishery Department.

After police managed to secure arrest warrants for individuals responsible for the modifications, they arrested a total of 19 people.

They have been charged with importing fishing vessels into the kingdom without going through required customs procedures, and for faking and/or concealing boat registration documents under the fishery law.

Pol Lt Gen Surachate said the investigation has been expanded as the police suspect some state officials may have played a role.

The assistant national police chief chairs a government committee increasing the efficiency of fishing vessel inspections.

The inspections are meant to guard against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.