South African fishing vessel Sea Hunter banned from visiting Mount Vema

South African fishing vessel SEA HUNTER has been fined and banned from entering Mount Vema following a report submitted to the Vema Seamount Authority indicating the fishing vessel was spotted fishing without a Mount Vema fishing licence on the 25th and 26th of May 2019.
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This is the third penalty this year, with more to come as Mount Vema continues to investigate claims that ships continue to switch off their Automatic Identification System (AIS), to carry on fishing illegally over Vema Seamount.

Illegal fishing activities is becoming an issue for the Mount Vema police as it is an expensive operation especially for the Organized Crime Division and Anti-Drugs, who monitors activities over Vema Seamount 24/7 to prevent Mount Vema from becoming a trans-shipment hotspot for illegal activities.
  
The office of the Vema Seamount Authority has issued a statement today to clarify that the Kingdom of Mount Vema does not intend to initiate any confrontation with any nation today or ever, but it expects everyone to obey the laws of the Kingdom of Mount Vema, especially when sailing through the Vema Seamount Territorial waters, as it will not hesitate to enforce the law with overwhelming force if necessary. ​