By Graham Davis

HMAS Warramunga in action (Mpeg Video 5.25Mb)

HMAS Warramunga ploughs through a bow wave in the extreme Southern Ocean while on her way to Heard Island.

The boarding team from HMAS Warramunga fast- ropes onto the deck of the Maya V despite difficult weather conditions.

Photos: ASPH Yuri Ramsey

The frigate, HMAS Warramunga, had to scramble over the holiday break to head deep into the Southern Ocean to apprehend an alleged toothfish poaching trawler.

The 3600-tonne warship under the command of CMDR John Vandyke made a 4000-kilometre dash from HMAS Stirling to waters near Australia’s Heard Island.

Before leaving Stirling the warship took on an 816 Squadron Seahawk helicopter.

This aircraft and its crew were to become the lynchpin for the successful apprehension of the trawler, the Maya V, and her crew of 41.

Also on board Warramunga were fisheries inspectors of the Australian Fish Management Authority.

The deployment of the warship and helicopter were made beneath a mantle of secrecy.

It was not until Defence Minister Senator Robert Hill and Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald did a press release on January 24, that Australians learned of the drama which had taken place in the Southern Ocean in the days before.

The Ministers said the Maya V was apprehended after it was believed to have been fishing illegally within Australia’s exclusive economic zone around the remote Heard and McDonald Islands, over 4,000 kilometres south-west of Perth.

“Our frigate HMAS Warramunga and her sailors on patrol in Australia’s southern oceans battled extremely bad weather and high seas to intercept and board the Maya V,” Senator Hill said.

“It is a credit to their skill and professionalism that they were able to overcome dangerous conditions to successfully board the vessel.

“These types of operations are always dangerous, but our sailors have exceptional training and extensive experience in environments ranging from Antarctic waters to the Perisan Gulf.”

It is now known that four sailors, one a fast-roper and three from a rescue RHIB were thrown into the sea and were rescued by Warramunga’s (CMDR John VanDyke) second RHIB, suffering bruises only.

The Navy boarding party first made contact with the Maya V on Thursday, January 22 and tried to do a boarding. The weather worsened and the boarding was called off.

The trawler was issued with a “legal direction” ordering it to head to Fremantle.

On January 23 sailors fast-roped from the Seahawk on to the trawler’s deck and took charge. A steaming party was put aboard along with AFMA inspectors. The two vessels turned to the north arriving in Fremantle on Sunday, February 1.

The Ministers said that some of the crew would be repatriated, while principals would face charges.

Minister Macdonald said: “This joint Defence force-AFMA apprehension marks another blow to illegal fishers and proves once again that Australia has the capability to act decisively in all sorts of locations and conditions to protect our fisheries resources and territorial waters”.

In addition, HMAS Launceston caught two Indonesian longline fishing vessels during a routine patrol North East of Darwin on January 27. She escorted the vessels to Darwin where they were handed over to AFMA for further investigation.

Approximately 150kg of fresh shark fin was found in one of the vessels.

This brings the total number of foreign fishing vessels caught since July 1, 2003, to 39.

View an MPEG of HMAS Warramunga in action.

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