Helen-Mary

The master of the 'Helen Mary', which was detained in Cork for suspected fishing offences, has appeared before the Cork District Court on the morning of Feb 20. Seven charges under sea-fisheries law have been brought against the master of the pelagic fishing trawler, The Director of Public Prosecutions directed that charges relating to suspected offences of illegal equipment use, a non-compliant boarding ladder, and non-compliant plans in relation to the vessel be prosecuted on indictment in the Circuit Court. A summary charge of failing to comply with a direction of a Sea-Fisheries Protection Officer was also brought against the vessel master. The man was released on bail to appear before Cork Circuit Criminal Court on April 28. The Court ordered that the vessel be released on the payment of a bond of €425,000. The ship left the port the same evening.

The captain of the 'Helen Mary' has been arrested at the port of Cork the a law enforcement interdiction at sea on Feb 16. A European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) patrol vessel had spotted the factory trawler in the Irish EEZ, engaged in possible violations of EU fisheries law. The authorities believed that the ship may have committed multiple offenses, and it was diverted to the port of Cork for an enhanced inspection. The local police in Cork were alerted Feb 17 to the possibility of charges against the vessel's master. He was detained under Ireland's Fisheries and Maritime Jurisdiction Act 2006, and an investigation was under way.

The 'Helen Mary' was boarded by the crew of the European Fisheries Control Agency Ocean Protector some 100 nautical miles off Cork on the afternoon of Feb 16, 2025. It was detained as the European agency had detected suspected infringements of European fisheries legislation in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and was escorted into Cork Harbour on the morning of Feb 17. One of the offences it was detained for was a damaged or faulty pilot’s ladder. The factory ship came into the harbour shortly after 10 a.m. and made its way to Tivoli docks, where it has been tied up at the deep water berth at Lisheen with tug assistance. Report with photo: https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2025/0217/1497228-trawler-detained/