Pesorsa Dos detained in Irish waters

A GERMAN registered fishing boat which was in the centre of an incident off Shetland in June has been detained by Irish authorities and escorted to Killybegs in Donegal.

The Pesorsa Dos was detained by the Irish Naval Service ship LÉ William Butler Yeats for alleged infringes of EU to fishing regulations in Irish waters around 250 miles off Malin Head on Thursday.

She arrived at Killybegs on Tuesday morning where she was handed over to Irish police, the Garda Síochána, and Irish sea fisheries protection officers.

The Spanish owned gill-netter also stands accused of attempting to foul the propeller of the local trawler Alison Kay at the end of June during a confrontation 30 miles to the west of Shetland.

At the time fishermen shared a number of video clips showing the incident, saying there was a long history of similar incidents in the area.

The incident has been reported to the UK authorities who said they had no jurisdiction to investigate outside its 12-mile zone. The German Federal Police Department for Maritime Security said there was no suspicion of an offence under German law.

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael said on Tuesday: “That the Irish authorities were able to detain the Pesorsa Dos entirely undermines the argument of the UK and German authorities that there was nothing to be done about its dangerous activities.

“It is yet another reminder that local fishermen should not have to wait until next year for us to have proper enforcement of basic norms of safety at sea. We can and should be getting this sorted now.”