High winds at Marion Island have prevented the South African polar supply vessel SA Agulhas, currently docked there, from joining the chase for the westward fleeing Uruguyan trawler Viarsa 1.
An Australian fisheries patrol boat, Southern Supporter, has been in hot pursuit of the trawler. Australian fisheries authorities have asked for South Africa’s help in catching the Viarsa 1, which is believed to be carrying a cargo of illegally-caught Patagonian toothfish.
According to Marine and Coastal Management head Horst Kleinschmidt, the suspected poacher is currently about 600 nautical miles south of Marion, and was attempting to work her way west through loose ice floes.
The Southern Supporter, which does not have reinforced bows, is keeping pace to the north, out of the ice. Kleinschmidt said on Monday that a final decision on whether to send the SA Agulhas to help the Australians would be taken at 6pm today.
Although an earlier decision had been taken to divert the polar vessel — from her mission to drop off supplies down at the SANAE base in Antarctica — high winds at Marion Island had prevented the off-loading of a helicopter.
This had to be done before the SA Agulhas could set off in pursuit of the Viarsa 1.
”We’ve been hamstrung logistically … but we will consider the overall situation at 6pm,” he said.
Factors to be taken into account would include the weather and the speed at which the Viarsa 1 continued to make in its flight towards South America.
”It’s a matter of relative speed and position, and working out whether we can catch the Viarsa,” Kleinschmidt said.
One factor that may slow the fleeing trawler down is that it soes not have satellite navigation equipment.
”Without this it can’t see where the ice is forming, and could run into some problems.”
Contrary to reports, the Viarsa was not ”trapped” in the ice, he said.
The Heard and McDonald islands, Australian possessions, are located about 4 000km south-west of Perth, in the southern Indian Ocean. – Sapa