Milko Schvartzman on why Montevideo has become Latin America’s preferred port for IUU vessels

Argentinian Milko Schvartzman, a marine conservationist who has investigated foreign fishing fleets for more than 20 years, has been very vocal about his findings when it comes to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the high seas, specifically within Latin American countries’ exclusive economic zones. While researching human rights abuses aboard deepwater fishing fleets, he has found that many transgressing vessels turn to Uruguay’s Montevideo port for refuge.

With a population of 3.4 million, Uruguay is one of South America’s smallest countries, making it an unlikely spot for companies to land their catch, transship, or load cargo to take back to their countries of origin. Schvartzman told SeafoodSource about why companies involved in IUU fishing and other violations of international law choose Montevideo as their port of call.

This is the second of a two-part series regarding the lack of transparency at the Montevideo port and the fishing fleets that take advantage of it. Part one was published on 3 October.

SeafoodSource: Would you say that human rights abuses go hand in hand with IUU fishing?

Schvartzman: There is a relation, yes. I haven’t done a specific study, but it has to do with the lack of monitoring and control of operations. With Montevideo specifically, the port doesn’t inspect vessels or what is captured or unloaded there. There are also no inspections regarding the quality of life on board or ship worthiness and safety. Many of the vessels that arrive at the port don’t even have life vests or their name painted on the vessel, which is a direct violation of international maritime standards.

The reason that Montevideo is the port that receives the highest number of foreign fleets is not because the other ports in Latin America restrict the arrival of foreign-flagged ships or the unloading of catch. There are two reasons: economics and lack of control. Uruguay has a free port regime, dating from a law instituted in the 1990s where ships can unload merchandise and load up from another vessel without paying any taxes or being inspected. If that ship unloads in Argentina, they have to pay import taxes and, if they receive cargo to export, pay export taxes, too. Also, if a foreign ship docks in Chile to unload, for example, it is inspected by the Chilean navy for security reasons. The same is true in many other countries, but not in Uruguay. 

So, there are many cases, such as …

Photo courtesy of Milko Schvartzman/Mision Atlantico