Chinese fishing vessels seek shelter at Gwadar Port during monsoon season

Five Chinese fishing vessels have sought shelter from the monsoon of the Indian Ocean at Gwadar Anchorage, confirmed the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Karachi

The vessels were accused of pillaging fishery resources of Pakistan by the Indian media. However, such allegations are baseless.

The Chinese vessels were only five nautical miles away from the Gwadar port and have informed all the relevant authorities of their intention.

Read: 43 Chinese firms all set to invest in Gwadar SEZ: COPHC

The consulate said that the vessels requested a stay at Gwadar anchorage and Gwadar Port to maintain machines, replenish stocks, etc.

According to the crews, the fishing boats arrived in the international waters of the Indian Ocean in late November 2020 for fishing.

“In the fishing ground where our fleet operates, the wind gust can reach level 7-8 every day; the sea waves can reach 2.5-3.6 meters; and the surges can reach 1-1.8 meters. Under such circumstances, the fishing boats are shaking terribly, which poses a very big safety risk,” the crew said, adding that things got worse when the engines of two of the fishing vessels malfunctioned and they had to find shelter as soon as possible.

“Gwadar Port is the closest port to our fishing ground. And we all know that Pakistan is our iron-clad brother, that’s why we headed to Gwadar Port.”

Read more: 'South Balochistan development to improve Gwadar’s connectivity'

In addition, the Chinese fishery company also said that they were in full compliance with the rules of international waters with related documents during their stay in Pakistani territorial waters, and did not conduct any Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Earlier on June 11, a video posted on YouTube showed the Chinese fishing boats heading for Gwadar Port, alleging that Chinese fishing boats plunder Balochistan's fishing resources.