An MMEA photo shows the fishing boat sinking while being towed back to the agency’s HQ in Muara Tebas.
KUCHING (Feb 10): The crew of an Indonesian fishing boat is believed to have resorted to sinking their own vessel after stumbling upon the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) patrol vessel some 105 nautical miles north of Tanjung Po here around 10.55pm on Thursday.
MMEA Sarawak director First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus in a statement today said despite their effort to sink their boat to avoid being detained, MMEA personnel managed to detain one crew member and the skipper.
“There was a bit of difficulty in detaining them as their boat was sinking fast, but our personnel onboard the OPV1 managed to detain them,” said Zin Azman.
He added that MMEA attempted to tow the boat back to headquarters but it fully sank half way throughout the journey.
Zin Azman said the two Indonesians are believed to be illegally fishing in Malaysian waters, and purposely sank their boat to avoid being detained.
The suspects aged 33 and 45 failed to produce any identification documents and are being investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985.
If found guilty, the skipper is liable to a fine of RM6 million while the crew member can be fined RM500,000 and a jail sentence of between six to 12 months.
The public are advised to be the eyes and ears of the agency by reporting to them any suspicious activities at sea by calling their hotline at 082-432544 or 999.