We’re contacting you regarding our research on the practice of ‘flagging in’, whereby fishing vessels owned by companies in one country are flagged to another country in order to access that second country’s waters. Records indicate that Zhejiang Ocean Family owns a dozen fishing vessels which are flagged to Argentina and Kiribati.

We also understand that an Argentinian crew member on board the Xin Shi Ji 89, an Argentine-flagged vessel owned by Zhejiang Ocean Family, died on the vessel after contracting Covid-19 while at sea in 2021, without being taken to shore for medical treatment.

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Thank you for your letter. We would like to answer the questions you mentioned in your email as follows:

1. Information on "flagging-in" fishing vessels operating in Argentina and Kiribati.

Flagging-in is defined as the act of a fishing vessel whose assets belong to a State other than the State of access, but which engages in fishing operations under the flag of the State of access, with no substantial connection to the State of access. Our Argentine flag and Kiribati flag fishing vessels are registered locally, of which: the owner of the Argentine flag fishing vessels is Ocean Family wholl…