Tuna is trans-shipped from an illegal, unregistered and unlicensed (IUU) purse seine fishing vessel onto a reefer, or cold storage vessel, on the high seas, close to the border with Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The pirate fishing vessel, which had no discernible markings or name visible on the hull, was painted
with word 'pirate' by the activists. Greenpeace earlier caught the vessel breaching international law by trans-shipping large quantities of tuna onto a reefer, or cold-storage ship, in international waters. Purse seining on
the high seas is illegal since an agreement was signed last year. In addition to breaking international law, the fishing of juvenile yellowfin tuna is unsustainable.