Just before Christmas, Belgium managed to obtain an additional fishing license in British territorial waters for the ship “0.582 Hombre”. The award of this 20th fishing license is the result of extensive negotiations with the United Kingdom. “A nice birthday present for the owner of the ship,” says Flemish Fisheries Minister Hilde Krewitz.
Shortly after Brexit, our country was granted access to a British area of six to twelve miles for 17 ships. Only ships that were able to demonstrate that they carried out adequate fishing activities in UK waters for four consecutive years between 2012 and 2016 had a chance of winning. However, six other Belgian ships were not licensed.
Last week, Flemish Fisheries Minister Hilda Krewitz raised the issue of licenses again at the European Council. All files are thoroughly discussed there. With the results, because last week additional licenses were obtained for the Lady Fortuna and now also for the Hombre ship and before that for a third ship.
Minister Crevits said: “The license is vital for the ‘O.582 Hombre’ which has aligned its operations to reach the 6-12 mile zone in the UK, but has been banned from fishing there since 1 January 2021. I hope this license provides good future opportunities for the company. shipping involved and I wish them and all the fishermen a good catch for 2022.”
