Conservation Sailor arrested on weapon declaration charge

by Nancy Knudsen on 5 Dec 2009 As a cruising sailor, when you venture away from your home shores would you - or do you - carry a weapon for self defence?

If you do, would you declare it or hide it away?

One Australian skipper has just found out to his chagrin that declaring your weapons, even though inconvenient, pays off. Michael Norman, Captain of Save Our Seas environmental boat, is on US$140,000 bail in Trinidad after failing to declare all his weapons.

Charged with possession of two high-tech rifles, and confined to his boat during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held recently in Trinidad, Norman has now been allowed to move about freely in the country.

Pleading that there was no category on the Customs form for some of the weapons that he had, when extra undeclared weapons were discovered by Customs on his boat and he was arrested, he pleaded guilty. However, his guilty plea was then changed to not guilty by Port-of-Spain Magistrate Avason Quinlan.

Besides the gun charge, he was charged with having in his possession 2,000 rounds of ammunition, 240 12-gauge cartridges, importing the weapons and ammunition, as well as making a false declaration to he Customs and Excise Division.

Norman, who arrived in Trinidad last Wednesday from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, docked at Crews Inn, Chaguaramas, a much-frequented stopping point for cruising sailors to Trinidad.

To Customs officials he then declared two Winchester shotguns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition. When the vessel was searched, however, it was realised that the rifles and ammunition found on the boat were not declared. Fifteen people were on the vessel at the time, but three have since returned to the US.

The court was told that the Save Our Seas boat was on its way to South Africa, but Norman had decided to stop in Trinidad for one day to refuel the boat and to install spare parts. He said the vessel, which was used for environmental purposes, was heading to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, known to be a dangerous area for attacks by Somali pirates.

Save Our Seas Foundation is a non-profit making organisation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its purpose is to implement and support diverse programmes centered around the protection of the Earth's marine environment.

It is believed that Michael Norman was on his way to assist with the Save Our Seas Whale Shark Project in the Seychelles in conjuction with the Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS). This organisation has been conducting monitoring and research into the occurrence of whale sharks around Seychelles since 1996. The program has already revealed a huge amount about the species, including the seasonal occurrence of sharks and the most frequented localities around the islands

'Between those areas there is a lot of piracy occurring, and a security company which will accompany the vessel there requested the inventory of weapons,' Norman said in his defence.

For more information about the Save Our Seas Foundation, go to their www.saveourseas.com!website