Dakar, 15 February 2023 – Greenpeace Africa is revealing the suspicious presence of a Russian factory trawler in Senegalese waters. This vessel, with an estimated storage capacity of more than 2,000 tonnes, would contribute to putting further pressure on the increasingly scarce fish stocks in Senegalese waters.

The 120m Vasiliy Filippov (IMO: 8607191, MMSI: 273299470) arrived in Senegalese waters on 7 February 2023, and has been operating off the Petite Côte and Casamance since 8 February 2023 (see image below). Before flying the Russian flag, the vessel was registered in Poland, Namibia and Belize successively. According to Greenpeace Africa’s investigation, the Vasiliy Filippov is owned by a Namibian company on behalf of an Icelandic company, Samherji, which has recently been accused of corruption in an ongoing case in Namibia.

Dr Aliou Ba, Greenpeace Africa’s Oceans Campaigner, said: “Senegal’s fisheries are dying. Most fish stocks are overexploited, and more trawlers will worsen the situation. Fishermen can no longer meet their daily needs and households are struggling to find fish for meals, so the arrival of this trawler with its massive destructive capacity is very disturbing. The authorities should invest more in sustainable fisheries management, not allow trawlers to overfish our seas.”

He added: “We call on the Ministry of Fisheries to clarify the suspicious presence of this Russian vessel in Senegalese waters and to specify the measures taken to protect local fishermen from this monster. A vessel that has already been the subject of corruption charges in other countries should not be in our waters.”

Greenpeace Africa deplores the ministry’s stubborn refusal to publish the list of industrial vessels authorised to fish in Senegal. Such a list would facilitate real-time monitoring of the waters by those involved in the sector.

“The fisheries sector is of strategic importance to Senegal. All measures should be taken to ensure effective surveillance of Senegal’s coasts so that the sector can continue to play its full role in the food security and socio-economic stability of thousands of Senegalese. As such, it deserves much more attention from the authorities. Its sustainable and transparent management must be at the heart of the public policies of the State of Senegal,” concluded Dr Ba.

Activity of the vessel Vasiliy Filippov since 7 February 2023 

Source: Marine TrafficLloyd’s 14-02-2023

Photo of the vessel Vasiliy Filippov

Source: Marine Traffic 14-02-2023

Press contacts

Amagor Robert Niang,
communication officer, Greenpeace Africa
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+221771834049 

Richard Sayeed,
international communications coordinator, Greenpeace Afrique
[email protected]

Press Desk Greenpeace Africa 
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