Suspected high-seas drifter released to Chinese

The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Rush, out of Honolulu, escorts the 177-foot Da Cheng, a suspected illegal high-seas driftnetter seized 850 miles east of Tokyo. The vessel was targeting albacore tuna and had 30 metric tons aboard, along with 6 tons of shark carcasses and fins, the Coast Guard said. No mention was made of any salmon on the vessel. The Rush sighted the Da Cheng and boarded her on July 27. The Coast Guard today transferred custody of the vessel to Chinese authorities. USCG photo

End of the line for high-seas drifter

Federal officials intend to scrap the Bangun Perkasa, the high-seas driftnet vessel detained at Dutch Harbor since October.

They're seeking a contractor to "dismantle and dispose of the ship."

Marine surveyor Jack McFarland found the vessel to be old and poorly maintained. He put its value at $250,000.

See the contractor solicitation, the survey report and a bunch of photos here.

Anybody want this thing?

Here's an update from the U.S. Coast Guard:

Oct. 15, 2011

Coast Guard transfers custody of Bangun Perkasa to NOAA

JUNEAU — The Coast Guard today transferred custody of the Bangun Perkasa, a 140-foot fishing vessel seized for illegal high-seas driftnet fishing 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak, to the NOAA Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement.

NOAA will survey the Bangun Perkasa to determine the value of the vessel and its catch, which includes 30 tons of squid and 30 sharks.

NOAA will then coordinate the sale of the catch and the U.S. government will retain the proceeds of the sale.

Federal law provides a process where the owner is afforded a reasonable period of time to come forward and claim the vessel. If the owner is not identified within the statutorily allotted time, the Bangun Perkasa will be forfeited and sold.

Read the full Coast Guard press release here.

Use 'pirate' for gunnery practice, Begich says

Two crewmen from the seized fishing vessel Bangun Perkasa arrive in Dutch Harbor. They were transported aboard the Alaska State Troopers enforcement vessel Stimson. Troopers gave no explanation for the crewmen's odd attire: white coveralls, hairnets and facemasks. James Mason photo

"Now that this pirate ship is in custody I have one recommendation: the Coast Guard should sink the Bangun Perkasa."

That's the word from U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, an Alaska Democrat and chair of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard.

Here is Begich's letter to Coast Guard Commandant Robert J. Papp.

Seized ship to be de-ratted, maybe auctioned

The Bangun Perkasa, left, and the cutter Munro. USCG photo

A U.S. Coast Guard officer today briefed the North Pacific Fishery Management Council on what's planned for the suspected illegal high-seas driftnet vessel Bangun Perkasa.

A contractor today or tomorrow will begin "rat remediation" on the vessel at sea. Presumably this means extermination.

The de-ratting process will take a week. Meantime, the 22 crewmen aboard the vessel will be taken off and repatriated to their home countries.

Once rat-free, the Bangun Perkasa will be brought into Dutch Harbor, where National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration authorities will place the vessel under arrest.

Most likely, the ship will be auctioned. Its owner, said to be "in China somewhere," might buy the vessel back, and this could serve as the owner's fine, the Coast Guard officer said.

Coast Guard seizes suspected high-seas drifter

The U.S. Coast Guard says it has seized a "stateless" fishing vessel and crew suspected of engaging in illegal high-seas driftnetting in the North Pacific.

A boarding team from the Coast Guard cutter Munro found more than 10 miles of driftnet, 30 tons of squid and approximately 30 shark carcasses aboard — and rats.

A press release and photos are here.