Fishing Company in New Zealand Penalized for Putting Crewmembers at Risk of Asbestos Exposure

New Zealand’s largest deepwater fishing company, Sealord, was fined approximately US$196,000 after being convicted of failing to protect its workers from asbestos exposure on the fishing vessel Will Watch. The company pleaded guilty to the charge and received a penalty that was less than the maximum of US$983,000. Maritime New Zealand filed the case against Sealord after finding that the company failed to conduct adequate asbestos risk assessments on the 50-year-old vessel.

The exposure to asbestos was reported in 2021 while the 1973-built factory trawler was operating out of Mauritius, with New Zealand-based Sealord employees working on it. Despite the company’s belief that there was no risk to the crew, tests by Maritime NZ confirmed the presence of the hazardous substance. Maritime NZ’s General Manager Investigations, Pete Dwen, stated that Sealord failed to keep its workers safe and should have had better consultation and identification of the risks posed by asbestos exposure.

In 2021, Will Watch returned to New Zealand after nearly 20 years of fishing in the high seas out of Mauritius. Sealord spent about US$1.3 million on general repairs and maintenance, and the ship received asbestos clearance certificates in March 2023 before returning to its fishing activities in the southern Indian Ocean.

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