The Stone vessel is 127 meters long and has a crew of 120 sailors (USCG)
The US Coast Guard ship that patrols the South Atlantic will not make a final stop in Argentina
29 January 2021
“An exhaustive evaluation of the conditions found logistical challenges that prevent the mooring of the ship in the port of Mar del Plata,” said a statement from the US embassy in Buenos Aires on the inaugural deployment of the USCG Stone in the region to “counteract illegal fishing “
The ship “USCG Cutter Stone”, of the United States Coast Guard , reported this Friday that it will not visit Argentina, as planned in its initial route of travel within the so-called “Operation Cruz del Sur”, whose objective is to reinforce “Multilateral cooperation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing” in the region.
“An exhaustive evaluation of the conditions found logistical challenges that prevent the mooring of the ship in the port of Mar del Plata”, explained a publication of the embassy of the North American country in Argentina, which indicated that it would have been “the southernmost stop of the maiden voyage of the most modern ship that the US Coast Guard (USCG) has ”and which included stops in Guyana, Brazil and Uruguay.
In any case, the statement warned that “the United States will continue working to strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation between the USCG and the Argentine Naval Prefecture, understanding that the region is safer and more prosperous when countries come together to strengthen maritime security of the region.”
Photograph provided by the US Embassy in Uruguay that shows the US military ship USCG Cutter during its arrival on January 25, 2021, at the port of Montevideo (Uruguay). EFE (EFEI0342)
The USCG Cutter Stone arrived this week at the port of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, to “resupply” during an “operational visit” in which “the crew did not disembark” due to health protocols established by the pandemic, as explained to the EFE agency and Uruguayan Navy sources.
According to information from the United States Department of State , the vessel “will strengthen regional maritime cooperation to combat illegal fishing in the waters of the South Atlantic,” as this type of practice -very common in the border area between Brazil and Uruguay-” it generates unfair advantages for those who practice [IUU fishing] and makes it difficult or deprives countries of developing a legitimate industry.”
Figures provided by the State Department indicate that the value of global capture fisheries production in 2018 was more than $151 billion and that unregulated activity generates revenue losses of tens of billions of dollars each year.
The II Oceans Conference, held last November in Montevideo, highlighted that the Uruguayan capital is considered the second [largest] pirate port in the world, according to international records, which show that the majority of illegal fishermen come from China, South Korea , Indonesia or Taiwan.
Also in an interview with EFE, the Uruguayan Minister of the Environment, Adrián Peña, pointed out last October that illegal fishing is an issue that “worries” his portfolio and seeks to generate joint policies with Argentina and Brazil.
The issue, however, is present in the two oceans of the region. In fact, this Friday, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Northern Hemisphere, Julie Chung, published a satellite photo that showed the magnitude of a Chinese fishing fleet in the Pacific, near the coast of Ecuador.
“A troubling sight: This Chinese fishing fleet covers an area the size of Honduras. Imagine the impact that the size of your catches can have on local fisheries if the officials of the People’s Republic of China do not make sure that the fleet follows the rules, ”said the official of the administration of Joe Biden, who later assured that the The country “continues to monitor this fleet near the Galapagos while we work with Ecuador and coastal countries to protect the fishery.”
With information from EFE
Read the original coverage via InfoBae at https://www.infobae.com/america/eeuu/2021/01/29/el-buque-de-la-guardia-costera-de-eeuu-que-patrulla-el-atlantico-sur-finalmente-no-hara-escala-en-argentina/
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