Norwegian-registered pelagic vessel Mokstein (former Icelandic Lundey) is on its way to the Arabian Sea to try fishing for mesopelagic species, although some bureuacratic loose ends still need to be tied up.
Norway’s Directorate of Fisheries has declined to issue Mokstein with a permit to fish for mesopelagic species, but owner Karsten Østervold hasn’t given up.
Acquired in 2017, Mokstein fished for mesopelagic fish in the Irminger Sea for a while, but the results were not good enough to justify continuing. Now the vessel has been in Las Palmas since late 2021, and options for fishing mesopelagic species both off Mauretania and in the Arabian Sea have been explored, while operating company Meso AS is keen to get its vessel back at sea.
Now the expectation is that Mokstein will operate in collaboration with a 100% state-owned Omani company, which holds the licence for this experimental fishery in the Arabian Sea, in international waters outside 200-mile EEZs.
Scientists have estimated that the Arabian Sea has a lanternfish biomass of around 100 million tonnes.
Karsten Østervold’s request for a licence for experimental fishing for mesopelagic fish for a period of 6 to 12 months, in close dialogue and cooperation with Mauritanian marine researchers (IMROP), was kicked into the long grass while the Directorate requested a ruling from the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries, while there was a clear refusal to issue Mokstein with a licence to fish in the Arabian Sea. This was on the basis that as Oman has no control agreement with Norway, the Norwegian authorities have no opportunity to maintain their international responsibilities as flag state.
‘We want to operate the vessel under the Norwegian flag. But if that can’t be done, we have to find another solution,’ Karsten Østervold said, indicating that this would mean re-flagging the vessel to another state.
Since its extended stay in Las Palmas, Mokstein has been in Denmark, dry-docked in Thyborøn earlier this year before going to Hirtshals for ceetification to be renewed and maintenance to be carried out. Since then it has been to Fredrikshavn for a short visit to the Orskov Shipyard’s flating dock, before heading back to Hirtshals for new Dyneema warps to be spooled onto its trawl drums by Cosmos Trawl.
Everything is ready for the Oman venture, and with substantial investment already having gone into this, there’s no turning back. The only remaining question is whether Mokstein will be under the Norwegian flag or not.
