The Viking, a ship sought after for illegal fishing, was exploded by the Indonesian government on March 14.
The Indonesian government exploded and scuttled a ship, the Nigerian-flagged Viking that was seized on Feb. 25. The explosion was done in an effort to curb illegal fishing. The vessel has been apprehended after a long history of illegal fishing operated in waters off Tanjung Berakit in Riau Islands province south of Singapore.
A so-called “ghost ship,” the vessel changed its name and registry information regularly so as to avoid detection as it fished illegally in Antarctic waters and elsewhere, according to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an environmental nonprofit group.
The Viking was the last in the operation of the “Bandit 6” known to be illegally catching toothfish in the Southern Ocean.
“This is to serve as a deterrent to others,” said the Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti. She posed on the beach with a group of navy officials, their fists raised in the air with the smoking boat behind them. “You may go freely in the rest of the world, but once entering Indonesia, this is the consequence” She added.
Source: Associated Press
