Kiriwina arrested by Prefectura Naval
04/12/09 21:17 Filed in: Argentina | San Fernando
I had just arrived at the boat to continue preparing for departure when I was summoned to the club administration office.
Kiriwina had been arrested by the Prefectura Naval and was prohibited from leaving her berth under threat of severe penalties. The club apologised and said they were going to chain and lock Kiriwina to her mooring.
After 10 minutes at the Prefectura office in San Fernando all was resolved and I was told Kiriwina would be freed. The Prefectura Naval are a well funded body responsible for pretty much anything to do with commercial and leisure navigation and for policing waterfront areas. They operate all over Argentina including inland lakes and rivers. I saw them in Bariloche and Calafate.
There are offices at regular intervals between Buenos Aires and Tigre each responsible for a certain length of coastline.
San Fernando was a relatively new office and when conducting a routine check at CNV they noted Kiriwina was a foreign vessel. CNV had a copy of my passport details and vessel registration but not my Aduana (customs) document. Back in the San Fernando Prefectura office there was no record of Kiriwina. The handling officer assumed non-compliance and issued an arrest order.
All my documents had been lodged with the San Isidro Prefectura, as I had been instructed to do, but there does not appear to be a centralised register and Prefectura offices are not directly linked.
I was not given a document confirming compliance and was told that an officer would visit CNV and authorise them to release Kiriwina. As at 17:30 this had not happened.
Kiriwina had been arrested by the Prefectura Naval and was prohibited from leaving her berth under threat of severe penalties. The club apologised and said they were going to chain and lock Kiriwina to her mooring.
After 10 minutes at the Prefectura office in San Fernando all was resolved and I was told Kiriwina would be freed. The Prefectura Naval are a well funded body responsible for pretty much anything to do with commercial and leisure navigation and for policing waterfront areas. They operate all over Argentina including inland lakes and rivers. I saw them in Bariloche and Calafate.
There are offices at regular intervals between Buenos Aires and Tigre each responsible for a certain length of coastline.
San Fernando was a relatively new office and when conducting a routine check at CNV they noted Kiriwina was a foreign vessel. CNV had a copy of my passport details and vessel registration but not my Aduana (customs) document. Back in the San Fernando Prefectura office there was no record of Kiriwina. The handling officer assumed non-compliance and issued an arrest order.
All my documents had been lodged with the San Isidro Prefectura, as I had been instructed to do, but there does not appear to be a centralised register and Prefectura offices are not directly linked.
I was not given a document confirming compliance and was told that an officer would visit CNV and authorise them to release Kiriwina. As at 17:30 this had not happened.