Skipper of British vessel impounded in France hopes to go home soon

Jondy Ward and his crew on the Cornelis Gert Jan were arrested by French maritime police off the Normandy coast last week.
Jondy Ward is the skipper of a Scottish-registered scallop dredger held in France (Andrew Matthews/PA)
PA Wire
Sophie Wingate3 November 2021

The skipper of a British vessel which has been held in France amid the row over post-Brexit fishing licences has said he hopes to go home soon.

Jondy Ward, captain of the Scottish-registered scallop dredger Cornelis Gert Jan, appeared at the Court of Appeal in Rouen on Wednesday.

A decision will be made before midnight on whether to release the vessel from Le Havre as well as the size of the bail.

After the roughly hour-long hearing, which was not open to the public, Mr Ward told reporters outside the court: “I hope to get home at some stage, today or at a later date.”

Given the current political climate, the case blew up to levels that in our view are totally disproportionate

Mathieu Croix, lawyer for skipper Jondy Ward

He is free to leave Le Havre but wants to remain with his boat, according to his lawyer Mathieu Croix.

Mr Croix said the action taken by the French authorities in the case has been “over the top”.

He said: “We’re clearly caught in a political game as there is a whole story spun around this entire case, whereas in fact it is a rather mundane affairs over fishing in an area that is supposedly out of bounds and about licences that may or may not have been given and catch amounts that are relatively modest.

“From then on, given the current political climate, the case blew up to levels that in our view are totally disproportionate.”

Mr Croix added the bail bond of 150,000 euros (£127,000) demanded by the French authorities is excessive, considering the total value of the produce on board was around 5,000 euros (£4,200).

Mr Ward has been charged with illegal fishing without a licence in French territorial waters.

The Irish skipper faces trial next August regardless of Wednesday’s ruling, but the charges could be dropped before then.

The produce that France says the Cornelis Gert Jan caught illegally in its waters was seized by French maritime police, according to Mr Croix.

Mr Ward was arrested by French maritime police along with his crew off the Normandy coast last week.

Jondy Ward, right, appeared in court in France on Wednesday (Andrew Matthews/PA)
PA Wire

The vessel was ordered to divert to the port of Le Havre, where it has remained since then, after the French authorities said it was fishing in French waters without a licence.

Macduff Shellfish, the owner of the boat, has said the vessel was fishing legally in French waters and had been caught up in the Franco-British dispute over fishing arrangements.

At the centre of the spat are the licences for small French boats, which are issued only if the vessels can demonstrate a history of fishing in British waters.

French President Emmanuel Macron had warned that Paris could block British boats from landing their catches in French ports and tighten customs checks in protest against what it claims is a refusal by the UK authorities to grant licences to French boats.

But France suspended the threats at the 11th hour as negotiations continued, a move welcomed by Britain.

The British trawler is being kept by French authorities docks at the port in Le Havre (Michel Euler/AP)
AP

On Wednesday, Downing Street acknowledged France could reimpose its threats in the fishing row as Brexit minister Lord Frost prepares to hold talks with France’s Europe minister Clement Beaune.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “He will be discussing both the (Northern Ireland) protocol and the fisheries issues, we want to emphasise that our position as regards to how we grant licences has not changed in any way.

“But we are keen to discuss the broader issue of the protocol and come up with substantive changes.

“It’s entirely up to the French government if they want to reimpose the threats that we saw they both announced and stood back from in recent days.”

Asked what success in Thursday’s meeting in Paris looks like, the spokesman said: “We’re seeking substantive changes to the protocol with the EU and these changes are necessary because the protocol as it is being enforced is extremely challenging

“So, we want to seek agreement from the EU that they will make the changes necessary so that it can be sustainable in the long term.”

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK Government’s position had not changed and the UK would continue to work to resolve the disagreement.

Meanwhile, talks organised by the European Commission to find a solution to the dispute have led to a “better understanding of the outstanding issues”, a commission spokesman has said.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, the spokesman said officials from the UK, France, Jersey and the European Commission have been meeting for the past two days.

He said: “These talks have allowed us to chart the way forward on several aspects and have created a positive dynamic aiming at a solution. The technical meetings will continue today, including also with some officials from Guernsey.

“The talks in these past few days have allowed for a better understanding of the outstanding issues which have been impeding quicker progress, and we hope that the positive engagement on all sides will soon translate into concrete results.”

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