''Viarsa 1'' was a

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

an-flagged fishing vessel famous for its involvement in a high seas chase.

Chase

On 7 August 2003, Australian Customs and Fisheries patrol vessel ''Southern Supporter'' spotted ''Viarsa 1'' in Australian territorial waters near

Heard Island The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) is an Australian external territory comprising a volcanic group of mostly barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall size ...

. Suspecting the vessel of

illegal fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes pl ...

for

toothfish ''Dissostichus'', the toothfish, is a genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Nototheniidae, the notothens or cod icefish. These fish are found in the Southern Hemisphere. Toothfish are marketed in the United States as Chilean s ...

, the Australians ordered the crew to stop. They fled, and this began a chase that would last for three weeks. The pair of vessels faced huge seas and numerous icebergs, and the rivalry was briefly suspended when the fishermen became lost in

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

sea ice and were directed to safety by the Australian sailors. As the chase progressed across thousands of nautical miles of ocean, ''Southern Supporter'' was joined by the South African salvage tug '' John Ross'' and polar icebreaker SAS ''Agulhas'' and Falkland Islands-based British fisheries patrol boat ''Dorada''. On 28 August, after , the contingent, led by Australian Customs Officer Steve Duffy, surrounded ''Viarsa 1'' south-west of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Meanwhile, a steaming party of Australian personnel flew to South Africa and boarded the oiler , which met the other ships on 3 September. ''Southern Supporter'' and ''Viarsa 1'' arrived in

Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, on 3 October. ''Viarsa 1'' captain Ricardo Mario Ribot Cabrera and his four shipmates posted bail and were ordered to remain close by and await legal proceedings. They found lodging at a hostel for merchant seamen. It was the longest chase of an ocean poacher in history until the Sea Shepherd vessels

Bob Barker Robert William Barker (born December 12, 1923) is an American retired television game show host. He is known for hosting CBS's ''The Price Is Right'' from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American televis ...

and Sam Simon intercepted the Nigerian-flagged trawler '' Thunder'', also a toothfish poacher, and pursued her from December 2014 to April 2015 as part of Sea Shepherd's "Operation Icefish" campaign.

Trial

Despite the 97 tonnes of toothfish found on board the vessel, representatives for the owners of ''Viarsa 1'' secured an

acquittal In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

by jury in November 2005. After two trials and two years, the seamen were free to return to their home countries.

Salvage

According to the environmental advocacy group Oceana, ''Viarsa 1'' was scrapped at an Indian shipyard.Pastor, Xavier (5 February 2008). "Oceana: The end of pirate fishing vessel Viarsa 1".

Sources and external links

* * * * * Specific Ships of Uruguay {{Boat-stub