Argentina coast guard sinks Chinese trawler fishing illegally

BUENOS AIRES Argentina's coastguard has sunk a Chinese fishing trawler that was operating illegally within its territorial waters, the coastguard said on Tuesday.


In a high-seas chase, a coastguard vessel on Monday pursued the fishing vessel Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010 toward international waters, firing warning shots across the Chinese boat's bow as it attempted to raise the crew by radio.


"On several occasions, the offending ship performed maneuvers designed to force a collision with the coastguard, putting at risk not only its own crew but coastguard personnel, who were then ordered to shoot parts of the vessel," the coastguard said in a statement.


It was not clear if the vessel sank on Monday or Tuesday.


Officials at the Chinese Embassy in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, were not available for comment.


The coastguard said it rescued four of the trawler's crew while others who abandoned ship were picked up by another Chinese vessel shadowing the pursuit.


(Reporting by Juliana Castilla and Richard Lough; editing by Grant McCool)



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