The foreign fishing vessel which was detained for further action.
BINTULU (April 23): The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Bintulu Maritime Zone on Sunday detained a foreign fishing vessel for allegedly encroaching into Malaysian waters about 80 nautical miles northwest off Tanjung Kidurong.
Bintulu Maritime Zone director Capt Maritime Mohd Iszuadi Mohamad Hasan said six foreign fishing vessels had been spotted in the area prior to the arrest.
“After realizing the presence of a Malaysian Maritime asset, all of the foreign fishing vessels tried to escape. As the chase unfolded, one of the foreign fishing vessels tried to block the Malaysian Maritime asset by throwing a rope into the sea from the back of their vessel.
“After nearly five hours of giving chase, the foreign fishing vessel was detained,” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Iszuadi said there were three foreign crew members comprising a Vietnamese skipper and two Cambodian crewmen onboard the fishing vessel.
They failed to produce valid documents related to the vessel and permission to enter Malaysian waters. No fish was found onboard but they found fishing equipment such as nets and ropes.
The case is being investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985, which provides for a fine not exceeding RM6 million to the vessel owner or skipper and RM600,000 for each crew member if convicted.
For any information, complaints or emergency incidents at sea, the public is advised to call MERS 999 or the Bintulu Maritime Zone Operations Centre (086-314254) and Sarawak Maritime Operations Centre (082-432544).