Impounded vessels may be sunk at sea
by Philip Kiew. Posted on June 29, 2011, Wednesday
DISCUSSING A POINT: Ismaili (right) and Syed Nor Adli discuss a matter during the press conference.
MIRI: Vessels caught for encroaching Sarawak waters and violating existing regulations may be sunk at sea.
This follows the government’s order for the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to stop auctioning off impounded vessels.
“The government doesn’t want those who buy these vessels at auctions to go back to sea to steal marine resources. And we are on the watch for locally hired vessels which operate without valid licences and work permits,” MMEA Sarawak region chief enforcement officer Maritime First Admiral Ismaili Bujang Pit said at a press conference yesterday.
The press conference was held following the detention of three foreign vessels and 46 crew members at Beting Patinggi, located between 69 and 83 nautical miles from here last Sunday.
Ismaili said MMEA has 22 fishing vessels worth nearly RM1.8 million in its custody waiting to be disposed of.
If auctioned, each vessel could fetch some RM70,000 to RM80,000, while brand new, fully equipped vessels would cost between RM200,000 and RM300,000 each.
“The trend is worrying as MMEA has already netted 74 cases of encroachment and violation of regulations as of today (yesterday), which is two thirds of the whole of last year and this is not even the end of June, and of these, 24 were deep sea fishing foreign vessels,” he added.
Armed with the Marine Fisheries Department’s list of vessels with licences that have already expired, he said, MMEA is on the lookout for nearly 30 vessels which may be operating illegally in the state.
Investigations underway on impounded vessels
The licences of the three vessels detained last Sunday had expired on Feb 11, while all 46 crew members, including the captain, did not have the required work permits.
Their catch of 15 tons of assorted fish was auctioned off at RM15,000, while the suspects have been remanded in custody for 14 days until July 7 to assist with investigations under Section 8(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985.
MMEA maritime operations director Commander Syed Nor Adli Syed Abdul Rahman said investigations were underway on the three impounded vessels, and the sudden withdrawal of an earlier police report of the licence operator against the skippers and claims that the licence had been renewed in Vietnam.
“We call upon the operators to cooperate with MMEA to control these ‘unhealthy’ boats and comply with the licensing and permit requirements, and ensure that the welfare of crews are looked after to avoid them absconding,” added Ismaili.
The agency has received several complaints of absconding crew members, including a group of six Cambodian fishermen in Tanjung Manis this year, but has left enforcement to the police and Immigration Department.
