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Victory - pirates in deep deep trouble

Activists climb on board the illegal cargo ship "Binar 4" as it awaits entry to the port of Las Palmas. Enlarge Image

Pirate ship boarded and branded

Activists from the Esperanza have climbed on board an illegal cargo vessel full of fish stolen from Guinean waters. Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation tailed the "Binar 4" for six days, as it sailed from West Africa to dump its pirate catch on the European market.

200 miles South West Guinea Bissau. Chinese fishing boats Lian Run 24 and Lian Run 29 illegally transshipping frozen fish boxes onto Binar 4 Panama reefer. Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation are working in partnership to expose the scandal of pirate fishing, as part of the year - long Greenpeace Defending Our Oceans expedition to highlight a range of threats to the oceans. Enlarge Image

10,000 boxes of stolen fish making for Las Palmas

We're on the tail of a huge cargo ship full of stolen fish heading to the Spanish port of Las Palmas. The fish, taken from the waters of one of Africa's poorest countries - Guinea Conakry - is bound for the plates of European consumers. Ships supporting pirate fishing should not be allowed entry to European ports. So Spain, are you going to let this happen?

Aerial view of the Chinese pirate vessel Lian Run 14 prior its arrest for fishing illegally inside the Guinean Exclusive Economy Zone EEZ. Enlarge Image

Pirate fishing vessel arrested

We have arrested a pirate fishing vessel stealing fish off the coast of Guinea, taking a Guinean Navy officer and a fisheries inspector and working with crew from the Esperanza and the Environmental Justice Foundation. Our onboard campaigner, Sarah Duthie, said, "Today we found one pirate – but we know there is a fleet of them out here and in every other ocean, stealing fish every day.”

Greenpeace activists prevented four pirate fishing trawlers from leaving Rostock harbour with chains and oil drums. One vessel was chained to the harbour wall and hung with a banner reading 'Stop pirate fishing'. A fifth trawler left Rostock last night - all five are on the EU blacklist for having been engaged in illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing - also know as pirate fishing - in the Atlantic. All have recently changed names and flags and were trying to leave port to plunder the high seas again. Enlarge Image

A fishy identity crisis

So you own five illegal trawlers called the Oyra, Ostroe, Okhotino, Olchan and Ostrovets. Things aren't looking good for you when in 2005, your boats are involved in the collapse of the fish stocks of the North Atlantic. Sounds like you need a change of identity.

Illegal longliner with it's crew standing on deck wearing balaclavas to cover their identity, the crew are attempting to fish illegally in Southern Ocean. Enlarge Image

Making Piracy History

Armed and masked, scouring the oceans, stealing food from hungry families – modern day pirates are a far cry from the glamour of Hollywood movies. But they are a multi billion-dollar reality for many communities that can least afford to be robbed. The Esperanza sets out to foil the pirates.

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