Argentina’s Coast Guard reported Tuesday that they sank an illegally operating Chinese fishing trawler. The sinking came following a “high-seas chase” in which a Coast Guard vessel pursued the fishing boat Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010 toward the international waters boundary.
The Coast Guard reported that, prior to the sinking, several warning shots were shot across the Chinese vessel’s bow and repeated attempts were made to reach the crew by radio.
In the statement, the Coast Guard said, “On several occasions, the offending ship performed maneuvers designed to force a collision with the Coast Guard, putting at risk not only its own crew but Coast Guard personnel, who were then ordered to shoot parts of the vessel.”
The Coast Guard stated that they rescued four of the trawler’s crew while several others who abandoned ship were picked up by a separate Chinese vessel shadowing the pursuit.
Officials at the Chinese Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina declined to comment pending investigation.
