A Chinese boat, which has received a confiscation order from the court for staging armed resistance against the South Korean coast guard's crackdown on illegal fishing in South Korean waters, is not to be sold for reuse but to be completely dismantled, the local coast guard here said Tuesday.
The ship, Lu Wei Gao Yu 60800, was captured by the South Korean Coast Guard in December while catching fish illicitly in South Korean waters. The ship's crew however, wielded arms against the Coast Guard during the crackdown, which eventually led to a court ruling of forfeit.
"On top of the confiscation, we (the Coast Guard) plan to sell off the boat on condition of its dismantling within the month," said an official with the Gunsan Maritime Police in Gunsan, 274 kilometers south of Seoul.
Therefore, the 154-ton Chinese vessel will be sold to a ship breaker, who will turn it over to scrap traders after disassembling it, the official said.
Thus far, seized Chinese fishing boats have been commonly returned to their owners after court rulings, many of whom would put them into illegal operation again.
"We've decided to break the ship apart as an example of strict punishment pertinent to the government's policy to root out illegal fishing by Chinese boats inside the country's waters," the official said. (Yonhap)