An MMEA member scans the body temperature of a fishing boat crew member during an inspection at sea.
KUCHING: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) is committed to preventing illegal immigrants from encroaching the state’s shores to curb the spread of Covid-19, said its state director First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus.
He said this month to date, MMEA Sarawak had carried out inspections on 13,174 vessels and impounded 64 of them for various offences.
First Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus
“Most of the impounded vessels were found to have violated the Fisheries Act in that they were fishing too close to the coast.
“There were also those whose foreign crewmen had expired permits,” he told reporters during a specially-arranged trip with the media to sea yesterday.
The trip was to provide the reporters a first-hand look of the effort by MMEA Sarawak in curbing the spread of Covid-19 in the state.
Zin Azman said apart from ‘Op Benteng’ to stop the entry of illegal immigrants, the agency was also carrying out ‘Op Kuda Laut’ to curb encroachment by Vietnamese fishing vessels
into Sabah and Sarawak waters.
“Op Kuda Laut was launched on June 24 this year and so far, we have intercepted and impounded 10 such vessels,” he said, adding that the illegal fishing vessels would usually operate in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) near the country’s maritime boundary, about 200 nautical miles off MMEA Sarawak’s headquarters.
Meanwhile, Zin Azman advised the maritime community to take the necessary safety precautions during this monsoon season, which is expected to last until March next year.
“Always wear life jackets when at sea, ensure your vessels are in good condition, instal a personal locator beacon, and always refer to the weather report provided by the Meteorological Department.”
He also said any report of emergencies at sea or those relating to criminal activities could be forwarded to the MMEA operations centre by calling 082-432 544, or to the 24-hour MERS 999 hotline.