‘We’re delighted’: British fishing crew finally heads home after boat released by French authorities

‘They’re in good spirits and looking forward to return to loved ones,’ says vessel owner

A French court has ruled that the British fishing trawler impounded in a dispute over post-Brexit fishing rules can leave immediately and its captain will not have to pay a deposit for the release of the ship.

Macduff Shellfish, owner of the vessel, said everyone at the company was “delighted” at the news, as the crew of the Cornelis Gert Jan set sail from Le Havre for home on Wednesday afternoon.

“We’ve just been informed that our vessel has been released by the French authorities,” MacDuff director Andrew Brown told The Independent. “The court determined that no bond was required for the release of the vessel.”

Mr Brown said: “We are pleased to have this matter resolved and delighted that our crew and vessel are now able to return home. The crew have acted with calmness and professionalism throughout the entire incident.”

The fishing firm director added: “They are in good spirits, looking forward to return to their loved ones and are grateful for all the messages of support received from the British public.”

Irish skipper Jondy Ward was arrested along with his seven crew members in off the Normandy coast last Wednesday by the French Maritime Gendarmerie. The boat and crew were escorted to Le Havre quayside, where they spent the next seven days.

French authorities claimed the Cornelis Gert Jan had been caught fishing for scallops in French territorial waters without a proper licence.

The ship’s owner was facing having to pay a deposit of up to £125,000, but Wednesday’s court hearing overturned an initial decision made last week and allowed the boat to be released without any bond.

However, Mr Ward has been charged with illegal fishing without a licence in French territorial waters and he faces trial next August regardless of Wednesday’s ruling. His lawyer said the charges could still be dropped before then.

Both the owner and Mr Ward’s lawyer said the crew had been used as a pawn in a wider political row between Paris and London over fishing rights after Britain’s departure from the EU.

Lawyer Mathieu Croix told reporters after the hearing: “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.”

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

Menna Rawlings, the UK’s ambassador to France, welcomed the release of the Cornelis Gert Jan following the dispute on Wednesday afternoon.

“Glad to hear the Cornelis is free to leave Le Havre and that the Brits on board are on their way home tonight,” she said on Twitter. “A huge thank you to our UK in France team for their excellent consular support.”