Photo; the Key Bay in the port of Fécamp, by JCB.
The Key Bay has just now left the port of the northern French city, and has set sail for Ghent, Belgium, where it is expected to arrive early Thursday morning, 26 January.
It is possible that the vessel is going to unload the remaining parts of its cargo in Belgium. From assessing the Key Bay's draught - the distance between the water line and the keel of a ship - it is reasonable to assume that the vessel has emptied at least part of its consignment in Fécamp.
However, it is hard to establish whether its fish oil cargo will be discharged in Ghent, and if yes, whether that cargo will be the fish oil it loaded in El Aaiun or the fish oil it took on board in Tantan, Morocco. The Belgian customs authorities could clear up that matter if they undertake to investigate the cargo's documentation.
When the Key Bay arrived at the port of El Aaiun, early this year, it had a draught of 5.2 meters. When it left El Aaiun, the ship had sunk to 5.4 meters beneath the water line. After stops in Las Palmas and Nouadhibou, the draught had dropped to 6.5 meters, which it maintained until it reached Fécamp port, in the early hours of 23 January 2016. Upon departing Fécamp, the Key Bay's draught was 5.3 meters, suggesting a sizeable part of its cargo, though not all of it, was unloaded in Fécamp.
One of the richest coastlines in the world
The fish stocks of occupied Western Sahara have not only attracted the interest of the Moroccan fleet: other foreign interests are also fishing in the occupied waters through arrangements with Moroccan counterparts. Along the Western Saharan coastline, a processing industry has emerged.
The CJEU Court Cases
Keeping track of the many legal proceedings relating to Western Sahara is not easy. This page offers an overview of the cases concerning the territory that have been before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
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