Argentina fines Vanuatu vessel Hai Xiang 2 for illegal fishing

Argentina's Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries has issued a fine of 1.833 billion pesos (approximately USD 1.2 million) against the owner of the Vanuatu-flagged vessel Hai Xiang 2 for illegal fishing.

The vessel was detected operating within Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) through monitoring of its movement patterns and speed conducted by the Argentine Naval Prefecture. This enforcement action follows Disposición 20/2026, which allows for the presumption of fishing activity based on electronic tracking data.

This marks the fourth foreign vessel sanctioned by the Argentine government in 2026. Previous sanctions included the Chinese vessels Bao Feng and Bao Win, as well as the Portuguese trawler Coimbra. The government stated these measures are part of a “zero tolerance” policy against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing to protect national marine resources.