Coast Guard ‘steps up efforts’ in bid to tackle marine crimes

Manama 

The Coast Guard Command announced that it has tightened all measures to implement the law to decrease marine crime. The command said that it has drawn up a clear strategic plan to implement maritime laws and reduce crimes, including illegal fishing and unregulated fishing to enhance maritime security in co-operation with relevant entities.

Coast Guard Commander, Major- General Alaa Siyadi highlighted the legal action for minor violations that include wasting Coast Guards efforts to arrest fleeing boats. He explained that the smuggling of weapons and drugs started since 2013 and continues until now. Bahrain’s marine security is changing and arms and drug smugglers are taking all opportunities to distract the  Coast Guards who are combating illegal fishing, he said. The new laws include deportation for every foreigner who violates Bahrain’s fishing laws. Mr Siyadi indicated that the Coast Guard has tightened maritime surveillance through coastal radars, near and far cameras, and international automatic identification devices.

The Coast Guard is making sure that such devices are installed on the more than 7,000 registered boats. As many as 179 marine safety violations were reported last year, according to the Kingdom’s Coast Guard. Mr Siyadi, earlier said that violations that are committed at night and with the current situations could jeopardise the safety of violators who would be held legally accountable. The official revealed that during 2019, a total of 179 violations were reported and legal steps were taken against them. 

Dive Bahrain a few weeks ago announced that illegal shrimp-trawling vessels entered the protected boundaries of the dive site causing major damage to the underwater attraction. The authorities are working to identify the vessels in question, which were in breach of Ministerial Order (205) for 2018, banning fishing using trawling nets, and the notice to mariners issued by the Ports and Maritime Affairs Authority, which mandates a two nautical mile exclusion zone around the submerged attractions. The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism Zayed Al Zayani said: “While the dive site sustained damage, work continues to build the largest underwater park which will continue to provide a thrilling diving experience for those who visit and, more importantly, a viable habitat for local marine species.” He announced that an investigation is underway using detailed radar and tracking data to identify the vessels.

An investigation by a team of specialised marine investigators identified clear evidence, both on the fuselage of the submerged aircraft and the seabed, that points to a collision between the fuselage and “heavy trawling nets”. Commenting on this issue, Dr Mohamed Bin Daina, Chief Executive of the Supreme Council of the Environment remarked that ‘’this incident serves as further evidence of the profoundly negative effect fishing with trawling nets has on the seabed ecosystems, reefs and on the marine environment overall”. A Dive Bahrain spokesman confirmed that work is already underway to fix the damage caused.