Milei's government fined a Chinese vessel that fished illegally in the Argentine Sea.

After a process that lasted just over two months, the Government of Javier Milei finally managed to collect a large sum of money in terms of fines and operational costs from the Xin Run 579 shipbuilder.

This is the Chinese vessel flying the Vanuatu flag that was electronically detected on January 5 by the Argentine Naval Prefecture while conducting illegal trawling within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), that is, within 200 miles from the coast, in the Argentine Sea.

Although the National Fisheries Subsecretariat, the authority in this case, did not detail the exact amount of the sanction imposed on the offending vessel, unofficial sources indicated that the total figure would exceed 700 million pesos (approximately USD 640,000 at the official exchange rate or around USD 550,000 at the free exchange rate).

The operation took place when, through the Coast Guard System, the Prefecture detected the fishing vessel, flying the Vanuatu flag but operated by a Chinese company, entering the EEZ with a course and speed compatible with fishing activities.

Through the same technological platform for control and monitoring of activities, the maritime authority verified that the Xin Run 579 remained in these navigation conditions, which, according to Argentine fishing regulations, constitutes the presumption that it was engaged in fishing activities.

In this situation, the coast guard GC-25 "Azopardo", which was conducting patrols and law enforcement duties in Argentine maritime spaces, headed toward the Vanuatu-flagged vessel, identified it, and notified its captain by radio about the violation of Law 24.922, the "Federal Fisheries Regime" of Argentina.

Subsequently, the corresponding administrative actions were carried out, culminating in the imposition of a fine determined by the Undersecretariat of Aquatic Resources and Fisheries, under the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries of the Nation.

However, this agency chose not to disclose the exact amount of the "significant sum" applied in terms of fines and operational costs.

The cost

The operation's expenses included the mobilization of the coast guard and the use of electronic means to document the infraction, a procedure that, according to the Prefecture, represents "an unprecedented event that marks a new paradigm in procedures of this type".

Meanwhile, the maritime authority highlighted that the Coast Guard System is "a leading technology in the region, developed by the Prefecture", composed of multiple information systems and subsystems, operated by specialists from the Directorate of Maritime, River, and Lake Traffic.

Thanks to this infrastructure, it is possible to monitor in real-time the movements of vessels in the waters of interest to the Nation.