Indian Coast Guard ships Arnavesh and C 427 successfully brought around 10 Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were arrested by the British vessel Grampien Endurance, to the Vizhinjam port this morning at approximately 10 a.m.
The fishermen, detained for venturing into British territorial waters near the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard.
Upon their arrival, the crew underwent medical examinations and interrogations by relevant agencies. Subsequently, they were transferred to the Fisheries Department for a safe passage back to Tamil Nadu.
The arrest occurred on December 6, 2023, as the fishermen engaged in deep-sea fishing around 230 nautical miles from BIOT’s Marine Protection Area, where fishing is strictly prohibited.
The incident was promptly reported to the Government of India by the ‘India and Indian Ocean Directorate of the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office’ on December 14, 2023. BIOT, a British Overseas Territory consisting of 58 islands and covering an expansive 640,000 sq km of ocean, is administered from India and Indian Ocean Directorate in London. Positioned approximately halfway between East Africa and Indonesia, BIOT maintains strict regulations to protect its marine resources.
Following legal proceedings in BIOT, the master of the vessel was fined £60,000, and the fishermen were granted a 30-day period from December 12, 2023, to settle the penalty. The fishing vessel was impounded, and the 10 crew members were repatriated by the BIOT patrol vessel Grampien Endurance.