Australia's latest border protection weapon against illegal foreign fishing has been put through its paces off Darwin today and is now fully operational.

The Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison said one of the world's largest trimarans the ACV Triton was ready to begin a 12-month program of anti-illegal fishing patrols off Australia's northern coastline.

Senator Ellison was on board the 98-metre Triton today to observe the new Customs vessel's performance in a 'shake down' cruise.

"With its ability to travel at speeds of up to 20 knots, operate at sea for extended periods, and carry up to 28 armed Customs officers, the Triton represents a major boost to Australia's border security capabilities," Senator Ellison said.

"It's further proof of how seriously the Australian Government is committed to protecting our sovereignty and our marine environment from the threat of foreign fishing incursions."

Senator Ellison said the Triton would be armed with two .50 calibre machine guns and equipped with two, high-speed tenders for boarding operations.

"The Triton will also have the capacity to hold up to 30 illegal foreign fishers but these people will only stay on board for short periods until they can be transferred ashore for processing and potential prosecution.

"It will augment enforcement activities undertaken by Customs and navy patrol boats and other assets that the new Border Protection Command has available to it when tackling the problem of illegal foreign fishing."

Senator Ellison said the Howard Government had allocated $17 million in the last Budget to provide for this year-long patrol deployment, as part of a $389 million funding increase over four years to support a new anti-illegal fishing strategy.

"Already, this increased commitment has shown results. For example, in 2005-06, a total of 367 foreign fishing boats were apprehended in Australian waters, compared with only 203 in 2004-05," he said.

Media inquiries:
Matt Francis (02) 6277 7260 / 0406 052 038

Media note:
Images of the Triton can be found in the Customs image gallery under 'Armed trimaran to join Customs patrol fleet - 08 December 2006'.

Broadcast quality vision may be downloaded from http://customs.ondeadline.com.au