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 have just been informed that our vessel, the Cornelis Gert Jan, 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.
He 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.”
The Cornelis Gert Jan was seized last week, with French authorities saying it 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 150,000 euros (£125,000), but a court hearing on Wednesday overturned an initial decision made last week.
The lawyer for the Irish captain, Jondy Ward, said earlier the vessel was a pawn in a wider political row between Paris and London over fishing rights after Britain’s departure from the EU.