Army fails to offer Maltese fishers protection from Tunisian vessels as lampuki war continues

Maltese fishers have been let down by the authorities after promised patrols by the Armed Forces of Malta to act as a deterrent for Tunisian vessels plundering their lampuki catch, failed to materialise.

The claim was made this morning by former Nationalist Party MEP candidate Peter Agius, who reported on the situation of Maltese lampuki fishers. Similar concerns were raised by Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba, who however did not point his finger at the Maltese authorities for failure to honour their pledge to protect Maltese fishers.

At the start of the lampuki fishing season, the Fisheries Ministry said that the AFM would be patrolling the sea where Maltese fishers lay out their fishing lines in a bid to stave off the friction with Tunisian fishers.

Taking to social media on Monday morning, Agius said the promise made Fisheries Minister Anton Refalo that AFM would be present in Maltese waters to enforce the law and protect the property of Gozitan and Maltese fishermen was nothing but a "smokescreen".

“It was just a scene for television,” he said, adding that photos sent to him by fishers last week, showed Tunisian vessels fishing on Maltese fishing lines.

“In two separate cases, they [Maltese fishers] called the army for help, and were told: ‘we can’t come at the moment,’ and to make a report when they're back on land,” he said, publishing photos of Tunisian vessels that were sent to by him fishers.

In August the authorities had assured that Maltese fishers on the high seas setting sail for this year’s lampuki season would be accompanied by an army patrol boat.

READ MORE: Maltese armed forces to monitor lampuki fishing grounds for Tunisian raiders

Maltese lampuki fishers last year said their catches were plundered by Tunisian counterparts in what is a veritable war on the high seas.

Fishers reported being threatened by the Tunisians wielding machetes and Molotov cocktails. They documented the presence of a large, green Tunisian vessel, nicknamed Bin Laden, which threatens to ram Maltese boats.

Agius Saliba also published the same photos of the Tunisian vessels in a Facebook post expressing concern over the situation. He said that last year he put pressure on the European Commission to give Maltese fishers the protection they require - highlighting that he would be doing so again in the coming hours.

“The European Union must move and act diplomatically so that this abuse ends without delay,” Agius Saliba said.

READ ALSO: War on the high seas: Tunisian plundering Maltese and Gozitan lampuki catches