XAI VENG 823

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Reefer arrested for illegal transshipment

The Liberian Coast Guard, assisted by the crew members of a Sea Shepherd vessel, arrested the "Hai Feng 823" for illegally attempting to offload a cargo of transhipped fish in the West African port of Monrovia, on Dec 25, 2018. The "Hai Feng 823" had previously transhipped with two other arrested vessels. The crew members on board the Sea Shepherd vessel and the yacht "Sam Simon" assisted the Liberian Coast Guard to board the "Hai Feng 823" using two Sea Shepherd rigid-hulled inflatable boats. During the inspection, the captain of the reefer presented the Liberian Coast Guard with an official set of paperwork showing that there were 21,409 cartons of fish on board. However, the Liberian Coast Guard uncovered an unofficial set of paperwork indicating that there were 25,459 cartons of fish on board. The Liberian Coast Guard also saw a Letter of Authorization from Sierra Leone, allowing the "Hai Feng 823" to export 24,000 cartons of fish that had allegedly been transhipped in the waters of Sierra Leone. This means that the amount of fish carried by the "Hai Feng 823" was over the authorization provided by Sierra Leone, their last port of call. The reefer was arrested on suspicion of lying to a Liberian Coast Guard officer, presenting false documents and conspiring to breach the tax and customs law of Liberia.