The Norwegian Council for Africa wrote in February about the shipping company Atlantic RTI which transported fish from occupied Western Sahara. The company now says they will prevent their vessels from being used for such purposes in the future.
Norwegian Council for Africa
20 March 2009
Last Christmas, the Norwegian Council for Africa photographed Atlantic’s vessel ‘Remora 1’. The ship was docked in the harbour of Dakhla in occupied Western Sahara, on its way to transport fish in violation of the recommendations of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Trade in fish from Western Sahara supports the Moroccan occupation and settlement policy in Western Sahara. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks Norwegian companies to stay out of the territory.
The chairman of Atlantic RTI, Mr. Johan Lønnmark Werner, told the Norwegian Council for Africa that they disliked that the vessel had been used for such purposes, and that they had not accepted it had they had been in control over the vessel when the transport took place.
Now, Atlantic RTI is going even a step further in order to prevent such episodes in the future.
Mr. Edvard B. Aaby in Atlantic’s partner Fearnley Finans Shipping, in correspondence with the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara, confirms that the shipping company in future contracts will specify that their vessels are not going to carry out such shipments from Western Sahara.
This precision will be made in the contracts next time Atlantic RTI enters a charterparty, according to the company. Over the last years, several Norwegian shipping companies have stated that they do not want their vessels to visit ports in occupied Western Sahara, but none of the companies have taken such specific measures.
”Atlantic deserves to be praised for this”, said Ronny Hansen, chairman of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara.
Hansen said that the Support Committee has been in contact with several shipping companies that dislike that their vessels have been used in Western Sahara.
”The challenge has always been that the companies claim that they have limited possibilities to stop such transports, since the vessels are being chartered out. Atlantic now shows that it is fully possible for a shipping company to stop such involvement, even when their vessels are under charter. They really show that they are a responsible company standing on solid ethical grounds”, said Hansen.
When Remora 1 carried out the transport, she was chartered out to the Dutch bank HBU.
The Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara and their Dutch sister organisation have today made contact with the bank asking them to follow Atlantic’s example.
The Support Committee and Atlantic have been in continuous contact since the Norwegian Council for Africa wrote about the Atlantic transport in February.
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