They no longer fly the Moroccan flag, but remain on the European Union’s blacklist
Two vessels that once flew the Moroccan flag still appear on the European blacklist of illegal fishing. The Northern Warrior and the Trinity are no longer registered in Morocco, but their former flag appears in the register published on 15 September.
The European Commission has updated the list of vessels involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities, known as IUU fishing. The new European regulation, adopted on 14 September and published the following day in the Official Journal of the European Union, will enter into force on 22 September.
Two vessels retain a historical link with Morocco. The first, the Northern Warrior, bears IMO number 8808903. It is currently listed under the Angolan flag, but the European document cites Morocco among its former flags, along with Belize, South Africa, Curaçao and the Netherlands Antilles. It has also sailed under the names Millennium and SIP 3.
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The second, the Trinity, is identified by IMO number 7321374. Its current flag is unknown. Ghana, Panama and Morocco appear in its history, while several former names are attributed to it: Enxembre, Yucatan Basin, Fonte Nova and Jawhara.
Vessels barred from ports and the European market
Remaining on this list entails severe restrictions. Except in situations of distress or force majeure, these vessels may not access European Union ports, refuel there or receive other port services.
European vessels may not provide them with assistance either, participate with them in joint operations or transship catches. The import into the European Union of fishery products originating from these vessels is also prohibited.
The mention of Morocco does not mean that the two vessels are currently sailing under the Moroccan flag, nor that the kingdom is being targeted as a non-cooperating country. It corresponds solely to the flags successively recorded by regional fisheries management organizations, whose lists are reproduced by Brussels.
This distinction separates their case from the accusations targeting vessels that are actually Moroccan, such as those that had led Rabat to announce sanctions against fishermen suspected of operating illegally in Spanish waters. Morocco had also undertaken a toughening of its legal arsenal against illegal fishing.
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The European update removes four other vessels from the list, but neither the Northern Warrior nor the Trinity is among them. Their former period under the Moroccan flag therefore remains recorded in the international register, which makes it possible to track these vessels despite their repeated changes of name and flag.