A Spanish fishing vessel, flagged and registered in the British colony that usurps the Malvina Islands from Argentina, was detected fishing in Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) , sparking a confusing diplomatic and operational incident that has yet to be resolved. The situation is complicated by the sovereignty dispute over the islands and the massive illegal fishing in the area.
The news report published 48 hours ago by the newspaper Clarín indicates that it is a Spanish fishing vessel, whose name and registration have not been confirmed, but which was flying the Malvina Islands flag. It is evidently one of 16 Spanish vessels based in the port of Vigo, operating under an illegal license from the British colony, in joint ventures formed by Galician and British capital .
Clarín reports that the vessel was found fishing in the Argentine EEZ, off Comodoro Rivadavia , which constitutes a violation of Argentine law. The Argentine Naval Prefecture intercepted it and is investigating the situation in coordination with other authorities. In this case, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The incident is even more serious given that it occurs amid the sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Malvina Islands, which adds complexity to the incident. This is even more so since the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with this action, violates extremely important United Nations resolutions that stipulate that it may not innovate or take new actions within the framework of diplomatic negotiations that the British cut off after the 1982 war.
Clarín also reports that the Argentine government is conducting investigations to determine responsibility and possible sanctions against the ship, and is also informing the United Kingdom authorities about the situation.
Even so, there is no solid information yet on what happened. It is assumed that the Coast Guard monitored the vessel, using the new approach of not pursuing them, but rather identifying them, reporting them, and issuing fines.
