WILLEMSTAD - Last Friday afternoon, the RCC detected via the radar system that a fishing boat was sailing outside the territorial waters of Curaçao. Local fishermen were granted an exemption from the government to fish within the territorial waters of Curaçao after the corona measures were announced. As of March 30, 2020, the government has banned sailing movements between Curaçao and Venezuela, as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus
The fishing boat with 3 crew members on board was therefore stopped by a Metal Shark team when they were on their way back to the island. The boat was then taken to St. Anna Bay and inspected in cooperation with customs. The crew members did not have to go into quarantine because they had not gone ashore and had not come into contact with other persons at sea. The boat has been taken into custody by customs for violating the law. The matter is under investigation.