These vessels remain here more than a month after Agriculture and Fisheries Minister V. Alfred Gray told Members of the House of Assembly that they will be removed “forthwith”.
The boats were brought in for a joint fishing enterprise between the Bahamian company, Netsiwill Holdings Limited, and the Korean-owned Neneka (Bahamas) Limited.
But that operation was foiled after the government revoked registration certificates that had been issued for 15 of the 16 boats by the Fisheries department.
This action was taken after the government determined that the vessels were not 100 percent Bahamian owned. But the principal of the Bahamian company, Earlin Williams subsequently claimed that he had obtained full ownership of the vessels, solving the issue of the “Bahamianization” requirement
On Monday, Minister Gray said that the boats are still in the country because of a technicality within the Customs Management Act, which requires a 30-day period of notice to be given to the boats’ owners.
“Customs issued a notice to the owners of the vessels to have them removed from the jurisdiction,” he said. “That notice expires, as I understand it, on January 5. Once that notice expires it would be up to Customs to seize and forfeit those vessels in accordance with the Customs Management Act.”
Minister said he believed that Customs officials had the administrative will to carry out their mandate to remove the boats from the country.
But the matter appears far from.
Mr. Williams told the Bahama Journal Monday that if the government “does not do the right thing” and reconsider his company’s revised proposal for a large scale commercial fishing project, he will have no alternative but to take legal action against the government.
“Before the holiday or not too long thereafter, I will instruct my attorneys to go to court on the requisite application to satisfy the government on that which it says it is dissatisfied with and we will see what happens,” he said.
The presence of the boats, which were moored in North Andros, sparked protests from some local fishermen and opposition officials.
Minister Gray said that the registration certificates were revoked because the specifics regarding the Korean ownership of the boats were unknown to the government at the time the applications were submitted.
There was a $2.5 million mortgage attached to the vessels.
Minister Gray said relevant documentation revealed that the first repayment installation on the mortgage was not due until the year 2028.
“The documents revealed that the amount borrowed was $2.5 million to be paid over a period of 25 years with the repayment date being October 2028 at an interest rate of 8 percent,” Mr. Gray said.
By Julian Reid, The Bahama Journal
