Fugitive Ship Chased in and Out of the Ice

The hunt for the fishing vessel suspected of catching several million pounds worth of endangered Patagonian toothfish took an extraordinary twist yesterday when the Australian customs vessel Southern Supporter pursued it into the Antarctic icefloes, then had to help it navigate out to avoid a full-scale rescue operation.

The Uruguayan-registered Viarsa then sped off again.

As the chase continued after more than 2,500 miles in some of the world's heaviest and coldest seas, the Australian government said it intended to scuttle the Viarsa if its owners were convicted of illegal fishing.

"The intention is to seize the Viarsa [and] bring it back to Australia where charges will be laid. If the [owners] are found guilty the boat will be sunk to become a maritime reef," its London embassy said.

More than half a dozen countries, including Britain and the US, have promised Australia their support, including assistance if the Viarsa enters their waters.

But the the helicopter-equipped Antarctic research and supply ship SA Agulhas, which the South African government promised to send to join the pursuit, was reported last night not to have set off.

The Australian justice and customs minister, Chris Ellison, said yesterday: "By now, it should be pretty clear to the Viarsa that its best course of action is to stop trying to outrun our patrol vessel."

The decision to pursue the Viarsa highlights the increasing anger in the southern hemisphere that northern countries have over-fished their own waters and are turning to the south for more fish.

The Viarsa is one of at least 70 international boats believed to be illegally fishing for the valuable, increasingly rare and slow-maturing Patagonian toothfish.

It has already been fished out in other waters and the search is now concentrated in the Southern Ocean south of Australia. According to the World Conservation Union, many boats have moved south from Europe after a decline in their catches. The Viarsa's owners are believed to have Spanish connections.

The latest reports from the Southern Supporter confirm that the weather and sea conditions continue to be icy and difficult.