Captain of fishing boat held in France told court will rule by ‘midnight’ on releasing vessel

The skipper of the British vessel held in Le Havre amid the row over post-Brexit fishing licences between the UK and France arrived at a court on Wednesday, seeking the release of his boat.

Jondy Ward, the captain of the Scottish-registered scallop dredger Cornelis Gert Jan, entered the Court of Appeal in Rouen at around 10.45am local time.

Mr Ward, who was wearing a light blue shirt, smiled and replied, “Hope so” when asked by reporters if he was going home today.

However, court officials said any ruling will be announced by “midnight”.

Macduff Shellfish, the owner of the boat, believes the vessel would remain at Le Havre until after the hearing, which is not open to the public.

Mr Ward was arrested by French maritime police along with his crew off the Normandy coast last week.

Andrew Brown, the boss of MacDuff fisheries, which owns the boat, said charges against Mr Ward were no longer active, subject to appeal by the French.

“The illegal fishing charge was dropped by the judge at an emergency hearing in Rouen on Friday,” said Mr Brown. “But this decision has been contested by the French authorities. A hearing ... will determine the conditions under which Cornelius Gert Jan will be released.”

The detention has exacerbated a huge row between Britain and France about post-Brexit fishing arrangements.

UK environment secretary George Eustice said on Tuesday that the Cornelius had been released, but later admitted that was a mistake.

In fact, the French still want the boat’s owners to pay a €150,000 (£128,000) deposit before heading back to Britain, to ensure that Mr Ward returns to Le Havre in August 2022 for trial.

The news came as the French responded with fury to claims they had been caught out fabricating information in order to fish in UK waters following Brexit.

UK officials have used satellite data to contradict claims by French seamen that they have previously fished off the coast of Britain.

Under the terms of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, EU vessels must prove they operated in British waters between 2012 and 2016 before they can get a new a licence.

Small French trawlers under 12 metres were not equipped with GPS trackers and could not easily prove their whereabouts, the French argue.

Olivier Lepretre, head of the Hauts-de-France regional fishing association, said his members had honestly requested 80 licences to fish in UK waters but had so far been granted only 35.

Flatly denying any fabrications, Mr Lepretre said fishermen “just want to go to sea and get on with their work”.

Fréderic Cuvillier, the mayor of Boulogne – France’s biggest fishing port – meanwhile said: “We are in the midst of the post-Brexit earthquake.”