Shocking footage shows what happened to ship caught fishing illegally in Indonesian waters

Nigerian Boat in Dramatic Destruction over illegal Fishing

 

Indonesian authorities have hit upon a novel and no doubt effective way to deter illegal fishers - blow up their boats with dynamite.

Enforcers used explosives to sink a Nigerian-registered trawler that was apprehended fishing illegally in its waters last month.

Footage of the sinking shows the vessel, identified in media reports as the Viking, being blasted in shallow water off the coast of Pangandaran in West Java.

Marine conservation group Sea Shepherd claimed the Viking was one of several vessels notorious for poaching toothfish, which has been overfished to the point of population collapse. Indonesia regularly sinks vessels it finds fishing illegally in it waters.

The ship before it was engulfed in fiery destruction

 

The Government has launched a major crackdown after it was claimed poachers cost the country £14bn in illegal fishing each year. 

First Admiral M. Zainudin of the Indonesian Navy said the armed forced had the mandate of the Government to act to prevent fishermen from stealing fish illegally.

He said: "We will continue to take firm actions against boats caught fishing illegally in Indonesian waters as per the president's instructions."

This latest strategy was driven by the country's President Joko Widodo who, since assuming office in October 2014, has had a zero tolerance policy on illegal fishing.