TANJUNG MANIS: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a foreign fishing vessel for intrusion into Sarawak waters using a fake registration number last Wednesday.
MMEA Tanjung Manis director Maritime Commander Mohd Ariz Md Kassim said the arrest took place about 107 nautical miles north of Tanjung Sirik.
“The team went to inspect the vessel with a local registration number SF2-3231 and found eight Vietnamese men aboard.
“Inspections found that all of them failed to produce any valid identification documents.
“The team also found 400kg of various species of fish and based on the findings, it is believed that the boat had just entered the country’s waters,” he said today.
All the crews aged between 33 and 51, were escorted to Tanjung Manis Passenger Terminal Jetty for Covid-19 swab tests by the Ministry of Health (MOH) before they were handed to MMEA investigating officer for further actions.
Mohd Ariz said the case will be investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for not having a permit to conduct fishing activities in national waters and the Immigration Act 1959/63 as the skipper and crew did not have any identification documents.
The agency will continue to beef up surveillance, control and enforcement patrols to combat the encroachment of foreign fishermen.
