Kiribati maritime police have detained a Chinese-flagged vessel after inspectors discovered shark fins on board, despite the ship holding a license to transit the island nation's waters.
The seizure was part of a joint surveillance operation by 11 Pacific island nations that ran from Aug. 3 to Aug. 14, with support from the U.S. Coast Guard and an Australian military aircraft. Commander Tom Redfern said the vessel was escorted back to Christmas Island for further investigation. The broader crackdown netted four vessels in total for suspected illegal fishing activities.
Kiribati, which switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019, oversees an exclusive economic zone spanning 1.4 million square miles. In a related development, French military personnel are scheduled to arrive next month on Christmas Island to help rebuild local police stations.