The debate began last Thursday and will carry on until Wednesday of this week at Costa Rica Ministry of Environment and Energy Tribunal. The Panamanian fishing boat Tiuna was intercepted by Coco Island park rangers when it was caught within the Island restricted area.
The Tiuna?s lawyer is defending the ship crew and has presented proof that the boat was outside the area.
The Coco Island is surrounded by 12 nautical miles of protected area. GPS reports from the Coco Island park rangers shows that the Tiuna was within the restricted area at 9.5 nautical miles from the island. While the boat?s crew has presented reports from 5 different GPS onboard system that places them at 13.5 nautical miles from the island.
The Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy is asking for $12 million for environmental damage caused by the fishing of 280 tons of tuna found onboard the ship. The Tiuna lawyer states that during their last throw (which was not in Costa Rican waters), the crew only pulled out 7.5 tons of tuna.
The Tiuna remains anchored in Puntarenas where it awaits its results in order to head back to Panama.
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