The British flagged trawler, the Baffin Bay. (Photo: Stock File)

Trawler finally allowed to leave Uruguay

The British-flagged trawler Baffin Bay finally arrived at the Falklands’ Floating Interim Port and Storage System (FIPASS) last weekend after being detained for seven weeks in Montevideo.

The detention took place because the activities of a Chilean lawyer in Montevideo have led to brazen abuses of Uruguayan labour laws and international agreements regarding the sovereignty of foreign flagged vessels. This behavior is jeopardising the port’s future use by international fishing fleets, said Cheryl Roberts, managing director of Beauchêne Fishing Company Ltd, which owns South Atlantic Squid Ltd and South Atlantic Squid (UK) with joint venture partners Copemar SA of Vigo, Spain.

Baffin Bay’s case is no exception: over the past several years, the Chilean lawyer has egged crew members of fishing vessels on to employ him to file complaints against the boats’ owners. The crew men are usually Peruvian, and they are promised hefty compensation for the deal, which consists of filing false statements with the courts involving fabrications about their working conditions. 

But the crews are not told that the claims against the fishing companies can involve hundreds of thousands of dollars that will benefit others, and that the men will not be granted employment in the fishing industry again, reports Penguin News. 

When the Baffin Bay arrived in Montevideo in early February, it learned that separate claims had been filed against it in the labour courts by two brothers who had not worked on the vessel for three years.

After the courts were paid considerable bonds later that month, Baffin Bay was given permission to go – until 4 March, when it was supposed to set sail but was detained once more due to legal action filed by the same lawyer for another Peruvian crewman.

Unable to send the crew, consisting partly of Peruvians, home, Baffin Bay’s owners then negotiated with each remaining Peruvian crew member and reached individual settlements with a new lawyer. The deals included the legal relinquishment of any further claims, and Baffin Bay was then finally able to leave Montevideo.

It now only has about two weeks left of the loligo season in Falklands waters.

Roberts said that, as long as the situation in Montevideo continues, many may feel reluctance to dock there. 

Other countries have suffered too. In February, Spanish ship owners told Uruguayan authorities that 15 fishing vessels would cease operating there after having their boats seized and being charged substantial collateral deposit demands before they could leave.  

Last year, labour courts in Uruguay took 10 fishing vessels, most of which were prohibited from leaving until an out-of-court agreement was reached with the plaintiff crew members or until a sizeable collateral was offered.

Related articles:

- Labour disputes force Spanish vessels to leave Montevideo 
- Precautionary measures concern Spanish ship owners 

By Natalia Real
editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

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