S.Atlantic : Australia Warns Poachers: Oceanic Viking Is On Your Tail
Submitted by SARTMA.com (Juanita Brock) 19.11.2004 (Article Archived on 03.12.2004)

Customs as well as that country’s Fisheries Department have sent a stern warning to potential poachers, who steal thousands of tonnes of marine resources from the economic zone, that they have an armed patrol vessel ready and waiting to patrol Australia’s waters.

Photo(c) Australian Customs

AUSTRALIA WARNS POACHERS:  OCEANIC VIKING IS ON YOUR TAIL

By J. Brock (SARTMA)

OCEANIC VIKING

Customs as well as that country’s Fisheries Department have sent a stern warning to potential poachers, who steal thousands of tonnes of marine resources from the economic zone, that they have an armed patrol vessel ready and waiting to patrol Australia’s waters.  In a press release dated 19 November 2004, Senator Chris Ellison, Minister for Justice and Customs and Senator Ian Macdonald, Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation said that the armed patrol vessel, OCEANIC VIKING will be protecting Australia’s sovereign interests in the Southern Ocean.

Inspecting the vessel during sea trials in Fremantle today (Friday November 19), Customs Minister, Senator Chris Ellison, and Fisheries and Conservation Minister, Senator Ian Macdonald, said OCEANIC VIKING had been extensively fitted out in preparation for its role in protecting the valuable Patagonian Toothfish stocks and Australia's borders.  Modifications to the vessel include the mounting of two .50 calibre machine guns on its upper decks and the installation of high-speed boarding craft.  Said Senator Ellison, "This armed vessel and its crew of Customs and Fisheries officers is now ready to conduct year-round patrols of Australian waters surrounding the remote Heard Island and McDonald Islands."  "The OCEANIC VIKING is a state-of the art vessel, fitted with specialised navigation and communications equipment and a fully-equipped medical facility," he continued.

The Australian Antarctic Division's Polar Medicine Unit will provide medical equipment for the vessel. An AAD-contracted doctor with experience in Antarctic conditions will also be contracted for each patrol.  Senator Macdonald said the vessel could accommodate the ship's crew, Customs and Fisheries boarding parties, and a civilian steaming party responsible for sailing apprehended vessels to Australia, at sea for extended periods.

Giving detail, Senator Macdonald explained that, "The capabilities of this vessel should send a strong message to those intent on illegally targeting the valuable Patagonian Toothfish. The Australian Government now has the capability and the will to respond and apprehend such vessels at any time of the year.”  When not engaged in Southern Ocean operations the vessel could also be deployed in support of other Customs and Fisheries operations in other parts of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone.

The Prime Minister’s Office announced the two-year $89.2m armed patrol program in December 2003.   Funding of $47.8m in 2004-05 and $41.4m in 2005-06 was confirmed in the Federal Budget earlier this year.  P&O Maritime Services was selected to provide the 105-metre OCEANIC VIKING after an exhaustive competitive tender process conducted by Customs.

Because Customs and Fisheries operations require the flexibility to deploy from various locations around the Australian coastline, the vessel will not have a permanent homeport.