BEAGLE

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Two ships crossing Argentine waters without authorization detected

The Argentine Naval Prefecture has detected two ships sailing through the Argentine sea without authorization, the Chilean tugb 'Beagle', which pulled without authorization or identification the 'An Fong No.136' (MMSI: 416004892), the operating port of which is Montevideo. In a routine operation of the Coast Guard GC-28 Prefect Derbes of the Argentine Naval Prefecture, it identified the vessels sailing within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Argentina without the corresponding authorization. (with AIS Off) on April 13, 2024. The towing operation was not even reported to the Maritime Authority, nor was the corresponding authorization for free transit requested with the transfer of a larger vessel with restricted maneuvering capacity due to towing, and with AIS turned off. The Prefecture was able to identify this irregular action and through satellite coordination from the Maritime Traffic Center, it was immediately decided to inform both vessels of the irregularity of their presence crossing the Argentine sea. The tug had set sail from the port of Punta Arenas on April 4 to take the 'An Fong No. 136', that operates under a fishing license from the Malvinas Islands in surrounding waters. The ship needed to be transferred without propulsion to the port of Montevideo for its subsequent repair. During the transit within the ZEEA they were intercepted by the GC-28 Prefecto Derbes. Upon detecting the violation, the Prefecture immediately notified the captains of both ships, informing them of the non-compliance with current regulations. They were reminded that, according to decree 256/10 and Ordinance 01-10 of the Prefecture, any vessel that intends to navigate between Argentine ports and ports in the Malvinas, South Georgia or South Sandwich Islands, or transit through Argentines waters, must have prior authorization from the competent national authorities. The convoy had an ETA at Montevideo as of April 20.