The patrol boat ‘Arnomendi’ concludes the fishing monitoring campaign in different international waters.

The offshore patrol vessel (OPV) ‘Arnomendi’ has just returned to Ferrol once the three-month international fishing surveillance campaign has come to an end.

The deployment started on May 5th in EU waters as part of the maritime security plan of the Spanish Navy and the General Secretariat of Maritime Fishing to protect marine resources.

This year the ‘Arnomendi’ deployed in the Sole Bank and NEAFC fishing grounds (south of Iceland), Bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea and the Albacore campaign in the Cantabrian Sea.

To conduct this surveillance and control mission onboard the Spanish OPV, several inspectors from SEGEPESCA (General Secretariat of Maritime Fishing), the EU and EFCA embarked.

In the course of this campaign, and after having sailed more than 13,000 miles, the ‘Arnomendi’ visited the ports of Reykjavik, Cork, Lisbon, Leixoes and Avilés. She conducted up to 70 inspections of trawlers from Russia, Finland, Norway, Ireland, France and Malta.

The OPV ‘Arnomendi’, built in the FREIRE Shipyards (Ferrol) in the year 2000 and with a crew of 42 people, is currently under command of Lt-Cdr. Balbino López Alonso.