“Fukuyoshi Maru No. 68”, a regular client of the port of Las Palmas

The recent presence of the Japanese trawler “Fukuyoshi Maru No. 68” in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is due to maintenance work, repairs, and dry docking, according to business sources, who clarify the information initially published on puentedemando.com. Operational functions that it has performed on various occasions in the past.

On this last occasion, for almost five months, from October 2022 to February 2023, it remained engaged in such tasks, including a dry docking at Repnaval Zamakona, these sources specify.

Finally, the mentioned vessel set sail from Las Palmas to its fishing grounds in Canada, where it is currently located.

In the past, however, as occurred in 2008 and is reported by environmental organizations, the Japanese fishing vessel “Fukuyoshi Maru No. 68” has been suspected of “espionage” in other regions for the Japanese whaling fleet, due to its “unusually clean” appearance and lack of visible fishing gear on deck. In fact, it has had confrontations with the environmental group Sea Shepherd.

In service since 1987, it is a Japanese-built vessel, with a gross tonnage of 401 tons and a deadweight of 637 tons. It measures 67.98 m in length and 11 m in beam. IMO Code 8708189.