Indonesia seizes alleged ‘slave ship’ wanted by Interpol

JAKARTA: Indonesia seized an alleged “slave ship” following a dramatic high seas chase sparked by an Interpol alert after the vessel escaped capture in China and Mozambique, authorities said Tuesday.<br>Interpol tipped off Indonesian authorities that the stateless STS-50, a vessel with a notorious maritime rap sheet, would be entering the Southeast Asian nation’s waters with authorities concerned the crew were being forced to work.<br>The boat, captured on Friday some 60 miles (95 kilometers) from Weh Island in Aceh province, had 20 Indonesians, two Ukrainians and eight Russians aboard, including the captain, a senior navy official said.<br>The crew have been detained and are now being questioned.<br>The Indonesian sailors said they were not paid and that their passports and other documents had been taken away as soon as they boarded the ship nearly a year ago, the navy said.<br>“These Indonesians had been sailing for 10 months without being paid so that’s why we suspect there was slavery happening,” Indonesian navy deputy chief Achmad Taufiqoerrochman said.<br>The 258-meter (850 foot) long vessel, which was flying the flag of tiny African nation Togo, has previously flown flags from a string of countries including Japan, South Korea and Mozambique, authorities said.<br>It was on the run after escaping detention in China and also fleeing seizure in Mozambique.<br>Before it was caught in Indonesia, the vessel used several other names including Sea Breeze, Andrey Dolgov, and Aida, according to the fisheries ministry.<br>The vessel was equipped with some 600 gillnets — banned in some waters — targeting cod species and Antarctic toothfish. It is also suspected of involvement in “organized transnational crime,” the ministry added without elaborating.<br>Two years ago, Indonesian warships detained a Chinese trawler wanted by Interpol in Argentina.<br>Jakarta has launched a tough crackdown on illegal fishing which involves sinking foreign vessels caught fishing without a permit after impounding the boats and removing the crews.