Chinese vessel with dead Kenyan seaman denied entry into Singapore

 

A Chinese-owned and Kenyan-flagged ship carrying the dead body of a Kenyan fishing worker has been denied entry into Singapore waters.

The crew member of the purse seiner Lu Qing Yuan Yu died last week under mysterious circumstances on the job in the high seas, said marine expert Andrew Mwangura.

“It has not yet established how the crew member died but we hope to get more details after postmoterm is done,” he said.

The vessel was reported at 1,853 nautical miles off Mauritius heading to Mombasa and it is expected to dock in three days’ time, he said.

The Lu Qing Yuan Yu 160 was one of six Kenyan-flagged and Chinese-owned and operated fishing vessels - using the same name but with different numbers, 155-160 - in the Indian Ocean. Crew members aboard the fleet include Chinese officers and Kenyan workers.

The ships are owned by Qingdad Yuntong Pelagic Fisheries Ltd, based in Bruce House, Nairobi, while the operators are Ziegen Enterprises Ltd in the city.

The fleet was authorised by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to fish in the ocean starting on January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2031.

Elsewhere in Malindi, a Kenyan-flagged longline fishing vessel, the Ocean Eagle, that ran aground off the town on June 17 was successfully refloated on Saturday.

The 628-tonne ship departed the port of Mombasa on June 11 at around 21:26hrs heading to fishing grounds.

Crew members on board included five Indonesian officers and 15 Kenyan workers.

The incident is being investigated as environmentalists raise concerns about damage to marine life in Kenyan territorial waters.

The vessel is registered to Sajodaerim as owners and managers based in Seoul.    BY DAILY NATION