Newsroom
A foreign fishing boat was caught operating illegally in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Sunday, triggering a coordinated response by the Port and Maritime Police and a police helicopter.
The incident began around 9 a.m. when authorities received information about the vessel, which was fishing off the coast of Limassol without proper authorization. A police patrol boat was quickly dispatched, along with support from the Police Air Operations Unit.
The vessel was located approximately 30 nautical miles southwest of Cape Zevgari by the L&N police vessel. Onboard were six crew members.
Authorities escorted the fishing boat to Limassol Port, where it docked around 5 p.m. Officers from the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research carried out a full inspection, issuing an €8,000 out-of-court fine to the vessel’s captain. Officials also seized fishing equipment and several tons of illegally caught fish.
After paying the fine, the vessel was permitted to leave and has since returned to its country of origin.
