No. 236 from 24th of May 2019TO: Ship Owners, ISM Managers, Ship Masters and navigating officers, other interested parties Subject: CARGO REFRIGERATORS – TRANSHIPMENT FISH PRODUCTS and IUU activities.
As transhipment is considered one of the leading contributors of IUU, it is important for the Government of the Republic of Moldova to ensure proper monitoring, control and surveillance of all transhipment activities. Considering that we do not have in place stringent measures to satisfactorily monitor transhipment activities at sea, this Administration stops new registration of refrigerated cargo vessels unde Moldova Flag, until adequate measures can be implemented.
As refrigerated cargo vessels are purpose built to frooze not only froozen goods but also frozen marine resources as well and allows for the infrastructure for supporting IUU fishing, also at the point of their operations receive and carry marine resources from legal and ilegal vessels at sea or in port, in result of the support to ensure the sustainability of the marine environment the Naval Agency of the Republic of Moldova informs all parties, in case of involvment of the vessel in illegal fishing and broader fisheries crimes, transhipment and transportation of illegal caught fish products, or vessels included in any of the IUU List, this Administration will proceed for immediatly deregistration of the vessel from the State Ships Register of the Republic of Moldova at the full owners costs, informing all MoU Port State Control and near Coast Guards.
Best regards,
Director of Naval Agency
Igor ZAHARIA
