Fined fishing vessels to be removed from Vanuatu Registry, VISR confirms

April 6, 2026 11:48 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Doddy Morris.

The Vanuatu International Shipping Registry (VISR) has confirmed that three fishing vessels — Bao Feng, Hai Xing 2, and Bao Win — previously registered under the Vanuatu flag and recently fined by Argentina for Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the South Atlantic, are being removed from the national registry.

VISR Administrator Saade Makhlouf clarified that the vessels were registered under Vanuatu, but the approvals for their construction and registration were issued by the Vanuatu Fisheries Department (VFD) on 6 June 2024, before the current administration assumed responsibility for the registry in October 2024.

“Following these incidents, the Administration took a clear position that vessels creating repeated regulatory and reputational risk should not remain under the Vanuatu flag. A decision was made to proceed with their deletion, and the competent fisheries authority has recently issued approval for their deregistration,” Makhlouf said.

According to marine traffic records, Hai Xing 2 is a fishing vessel measuring 58.88 meters in length with a 12-meter beam and a gross tonnage of 737 DWT. Bao Win (IMO 1127166), built in 2025, measures 59 meters long with a 12-meter beam and a summer deadweight capacity of 696 tonnes. Bao Win is currently operating in the South Atlantic Open Water, according to recent AIS tracking data. Specifications for Bao Feng are still being confirmed.

Makhlouf emphasised that VISR does not operate the national Vessel Monitoring System, which remains under the VFD. “However, because incidents involving fishing vessels can directly impact the reputation of the Vanuatu flag, VISR has taken steps to strengthen oversight on the registry side,” he said.

Since assuming responsibility, VISR has introduced multiple measures, including zero-tolerance circulars for IUU fishing, mandatory disclosure of ultimate beneficial ownership from operators, 24-hour incident reporting, and pre-approval mechanisms requiring registry clearance before Fisheries approves new fishing vessels. VISR also maintains 24/7 oversight of flagged vessels and enforces compliance under the 2025 amendments to the Maritime Act, which empowered the Maritime Administrator to issue binding policies and administrative actions.

“The current administration inherited a system requiring significant strengthening and has acted decisively,” said Makhlouf. “Vanuatu takes IUU risks seriously, and vessels exposing the flag to repeated regulatory or reputational risk will not be allowed to remain under the registry.”