Handout photo from MMEA Sarawak shows the Indonesian fishing boat being towed towards the agency’s maritime complex.
KUCHING (March 9): Two foreign fishing vessels were intercepted by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) during a series of offshore patrols recently.
The operations involved the agency’s latest asset for the Sarawak branch, KM Tun Fatimah.
MMEA Sarawak director First Admiral Kamal Ariffin Jusoh said the crew members of the first vessel, said to come from Vietnam, were detained some 113 nautical miles north of Tanjung Po, at around 10.30pm on Thursday.
“Three of the crew members, including the skipper, failed to show any valid identification documents when they were checked,” he said in a statement.
On Friday, the crew of KM Tun Fatimah stopped an Indonesian fishing boat some 82 nautical miles north of Tanjung Po, at 4.10am.
“Upon inspection, we found that there were four crew members, including the Indonesian captain, aged between 30 and 43, on board, without any valid identification documents,” he added.
Both foreign boats, along with the catch, are valued at over RM3 million.
All seven crew members from the two vessels had been brought to the MMEA Maritime Complex for further action.
“The cases are being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for suspected intrusion and engaging in fishing activities in the country’s waters,” said Kamal Ariffin.
On this, he said the MMEA would not compromise on any foreign fishing boats that had entered and conducted illegal fishing activities in Malaysian waters.
“We, at MMEA, advise the public, especially the maritime community, to report any suspected criminal activities at sea by calling the MMEA Sarawak operations centre hotline 082-432 544, or MERS 999.
