The boats at the centre of the $2bn “tuna bonds” scandal that sank the southern African country’s economy, after protests scared off buyers. The auctioneers failed to attract a single bid for the 24 fishing vessels moored in Maputo’s main port, rust crawling down their hulls. Prospective buyers from South Africa and Namibia had cancelled planned boat inspections last week amid ongoing protests in which at least 72 people have been killed. There had also been interest from local “entrepreneurs,” said David Leal, the auction manager at the Leilosoc auction house running the process on behalf of the Mozambique government. The ships were listed for auction at reserve prices of between $270,000 and $1.4mn.
