Illegal fishing vessel seized in Alaska headed for scrap heap:

A vessel seized for illegal fishing last year is headed for scrap.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's law enforcement division is seeking a contractor to tow the Bangun Perkasa from Dutch Harbor and dismantle it. Responses to the solicitation are due by June 14.

Last September, the Coast Guard seized the vessel about 2,600 miles southwest of Kodiak after receiving a report that it was fishing illegally with a drift net.

Authorities reported finding more than 30 tons of squid and 54 shark carcasses aboard the rat-infested ship.

A federal judge earlier this year issued a forfeiture decree, turning the ship over to the federal government.

A surveyor's report found the ship in poor condition, with outdated or nearly obsolete equipment. The ship's value was estimated at $250,000.

Source: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. By Becky Bohrer. 4 June 2012

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