Bangkok, Thailand — September 9, 2015 — A notorious black-listed fishing vessel has broken free of Thai naval authorities off the Thai resort island of Phuket and sailed into international waters.
Thai officials say the rusting and decrepit 625-ton Taisan has left behind unpaid bills of $US66,000 ($94,000) and has on board millions of dollars worth of illegally caught fish.
Thai authorities met on Wednesday to decide whether to send a navy ship in pursuit.
“We blinked and the ship was gone,” Charoen Chamniklang, chief of the Royal Thai Customs and investigation suppression bureau told Phuketwan news.
In January the New Zealand navy said the ship, then called the Kunlun, used “evasive tactics” to thwart boarding attempts in Antarctic waters.