Red Crusader incident explained
The Red Crusader incident was a 1961 maritime dispute between Denmark and the United Kingdom over fishing rights.
Background
On 27 April 1959, the British and Danish governments exchanged notes in Copenhagen establishing temporary regulations on fishing around the Faroe Islands.[1]
Events of 29 May
On 29 May 1961 at 17:39, the British fishing trawler Red Crusader was arrested by the Danish frigate Niels Ebbesen for fishing in the waters off the Faroe Islands.[2] [3] Instead of heading towards Tórshavn, as instructed by the Danish frigate, the British trawler headed for Scotland. The Danish frigate pursued the trawler, and fired warning shots to no avail. The Danish frigate then fired an aimed shot, damaging the trawler.[4] The Danish frigate commander was E. Sølling and the British trawler skipper was Mr Wood.[5]
Commission
On 15 November 1961, the British and Danish governments established an adversarial international commission of inquiry into the incident under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.[6] This was the first international commission since the Tavignano inquiry in 1922.[7]
Proceedings were divided into a written and an oral stage.
The commission delivered its report in March 1962 and found no evidence of illegal fishing. Further, the commission found that the Niels Ebbesen had used excessive force, beyond that justified by international law in firing on the trawler.[8]
See also
- Cod Wars, a series of fishing disputes between the United Kingdom and Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Further reading
- Book: Nørby, Søren. Med fornøden dristighed: Dramatiske beretninger fra flådens historie. Turbine. 978-87-406-6976-3. 8 April 2021. da.
Notes and References
- Web site: 27 April 1959. Exchange of Notes between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Denmark modifying the Convention of June 24, 1901, as later amended, concerning the Regulation of Fishing around the Faroe Islands. live. 21 May 2021. BAILII. 21 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210521213058/https://www.bailii.org/uk/other/UKTS/1959/TS0055.pdf.
- Encyclopedia: Red Crusader Incident (1961). Max Planck Encyclopedia of International Law. Oxford University Press. 21 May 2021. Oyarce. Ximena Hinrichs. June 2007. 21 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210521173401/https://opil.ouplaw.com/view/10.1093/law:epil/9780199231690/law-9780199231690-e1211. live.
- Nørby. Søren. November 2018. Låst inde. Trawler stikker af. Marinehistorisk Tidsskrift. da. 51. 4. 3–19. 2021-05-21. 2021-05-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20210521192042/http://www.marinehist.dk/MHT/2018-4-MHT.pdf. live.
- Johnson. D. H. N.. July 1961. Law of the Sea. The International and Comparative Law Quarterly. 10. 3. 587–597. 10.1093/iclqaj/10.3.587. 755929. 21 May 2021. JSTOR. 22 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210522004004/https://www.jstor.org/stable/755929. live.
- Book: Saabye, E. J.. I medvind: En søofficers erindringer. 9 January 2019. Lindhardt og Ringhof. 978-87-26-08264-7. 9 January 2019. da.
- Lemnitzer. Jan Martin. 1 November 2016. International Commissions of Inquiry and the North Sea Incident: A Model for a MH17 Tribunal?. European Journal of International Law. 27. 4. 923–944. 10.1093/ejil/chw056. 21 May 2021. free. 23 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423143822/https://academic.oup.com/ejil/article/27/4/923/2962212. live.
- Book: Merrills, J. G.. International Dispute Settlement. Cambridge University Press. 2005. 978-0-521-85250-0. 4th. Cambridge, England. 53–55. 26 May 2021.
- Encyclopedia: Red Crusader-sagen. Den Store Danske Encyklopædi. 21 May 2021. Jacobsen. Ulrik. 29 April 2021. da. 21 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210521192035/https://denstoredanske.lex.dk/Red_Crusader-sagen. live.
