Africa-Press – Angola. Two hundred and 20 buoys and small boats that carried out illegal fishing in the town of Saco-Mar, maritime area of Moçâmedes, Namibe province, were destroyed this week, to ensure safe navigability in the area.
The operation was carried out by a multisectoral commission coordinated by the Captaincy of the Port of Namibe and involving other related bodies, which, after a month-long pedagogical and awareness-raising action, decided to destroy (burn) the equipment, which put the security at risk. movement of large ships in the area.
Speaking to ANGOP, the captain of the Namibe Port Authority, Kamatá Chinhama, said that this was a process initiated within the scope of maritime security, to stabilize and control the movements of ships entering and leaving this commercial space.
“This is our zone of jurisdiction and we have the obligation and competence to guarantee the safety of maritime navigation, combating pollution and monitoring smuggling crimes and others that undermine safety at sea”, he reinforced.
According to Kamata Chinhama, the use of buoys, boats, nets and other means in that area, where oil ships circulate, worries government entities as it puts navigability at risk, as occurred last May, when fishing nets wrapped around the propeller. of an oil tanker of Liberian nationality.
He said that this incident was resolved by the intervention of the Captaincy, which managed to pull the ship that was traveling at a speed that could hit the bridge and cause the destruction of the entire infrastructure and cause great human losses.
“We had to quickly move some divers to remove the nets from the ship’s propeller,” he said.
At the Saco-Mar terminal, where works are taking place on the Porto Mineraleiro, fishermen cross and risk their lives with the buoys, to fish for shellfish, using lamps that can cause a large fire, according to the source.
To counter this scenario, the captain assured that a border will be placed in the area of the fuel unloading bridge, so that there is no movement of people and vehicles.
Meanwhile, citizens who practiced fishing illegally were advised to form cooperatives, gathering all legalized documentation, to carry out fishing safely in appropriate locations.
Because of the ban, fishermen decided to demonstrate to the Provincial Government of Namibe, where they were asked to practice fishing legally and safely.
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