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| Puntland Coast Guard Catches 12 Fishing Vessels illegally Fishing in the Waters of Puntland Wednesday, 25-Apr 2007 |
 The Puntland Coast Guard caught 12 fishing Vessels illegally fishing in the waters of Puntland. These vessels were then escorted back to the Bossaso port for further questions and legal action. |
 Puntland Coast Guard Commander Full Colonel Abdi Hersi Du?ale stated that the Coast Guard was on a 48 hour mission with the task of stopping illegal fishing, human smuggling, and pirates, when the Coast Guard discovered these vessels. The vessels consisted of 9 fishing boats and two ships registered under the Republic of Yemen and Egypt. The vessels were caught between Ras-asyr and Aluula. All the crew members aboard these vessels were brought back to Bossaso for further questioning by the Puntland authorities. Col. Abdi Hersi also stated that a full investigation and legal action will be conducted on this incident in the next few days.  The Minister of Fisheries, Ports, Marine Transport & Marine Resources, the Honorable. Saed Mohamed Rage stated the operation was a joint initiative of the Puntland Coast Guard, Ministry of Fisheries and the Al-Hababi Company. The Minister also stated, ? I am very happy with the success of this mission and this will also send a strong message to those that want to illegally fish in our waters that they will be facing the full force of the Puntland Justice system?., This was the first mission of the Puntland Coast Guard; the Coast Guard includes the recent addition of 250 members who had completed their training in Gardo, Puntland. The Puntland Coast Guard is a partnership between the Puntland Government and the Al-Hababi Company, with the main mission of securing the waters of Puntland against any form of illegal criminal activity.  These Vessels and their crews are now in the custody of Puntland authorities in Bossaso. Different State agencies are now dealing with this issue; this includes an investigation into what these vessels are carrying, what equipment they are using for their illegal activities and what kind of damage they may have caused to the coastal environment of Puntland.       
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