The authorities in French Polynesia have impounded a Chinese fishing vessel after its owner refused to salvage another of its boats which had run aground in July.
The government's unprecedented move to seize the Ping Tai Rong 316, which belongs to the Ping Tai Rong Ocean Fishery Group, was approved by the courts in Papeete.
Ping Tai Rong 49 stranded at Anuanurunga atoll Photo: supplied French Armed Forces
The action is an attempt to secure $US5 million in assets, should the Ping Tai Rong Ocean Fishery Group fail to comply with an earlier order to bear the costs of removing the Ping Tai Rong 49 from Anuanurunga atoll.
The seizure is being challenged in court.
In July, the 40-metre-long Ping Tai Rong 49 hit the uninhabited atoll, which is about 720 kilometres south-east of Tahiti, while travelling in bad weather at night from the Cook Islands to waters near Pitcairn.
The ship was carrying about 120,000 litres of fuel, prompting an immediate despatch of a French navy team to contain a possible oil spill.
Investigators found the longliner had a malfunctioning radar and used an incomplete map when it hit the atoll at cruising speed.
The vessel's captain and another crew member were taken to court in Papeete, accused of causing marine pollution and breaching navigation protocols.
Pending a trial, they were released last week and expected to leave Tahiti on the the Ping Tai Rong 316, but stopped by the ship's seizure.
In March last year, another Chinese fishing vessel ran aground on the reef of Arutua atoll, which is also in the Tuamotus.
The Shen Gang Shun 1, which had shark meat on board while sailing in a shark sanctuary, has been abandoned by its owners.
Attempts to refloat the rusting vessel have been unsuccessful while legal avenues are being pursued to bring them to account.
These incidents have prompted the French Polynesian government to consider adopting a local law which would ban certain ships from transiting through the territory's exclusive economic zone.
Although France is responsible for maritime surveillance, the transport minister Jean-Christophe Bouissou said a local law could refer to navigational safety and risks of an environmental impact.
The minister said another option would be to develop an alarm system using satellites to track the Chinese boats' movements through French Polynesia's atolls.
He said action was needed because the government cannot afford spending millions to dismantle and remove wrecks and to have to chase their owners for compensation.