KUCHING: Fishing associations in Sarawak are calling on both the federal and state governments to urgently extend diesel subsidies to operators of C2 deep sea fishing vessels, warning that without intervention, the industry faces collapse.
The appeal was made at a press conference held jointly by the Kuching Division Trawler Operators Association and the Sarawak Fishing Vessels Association (Sibu) today (April 11).
C2 vessels are larger deep sea fishing boats legally required to operate beyond 30 nautical miles from shore, meaning they consume considerably more diesel just to reach their legal fishing grounds.
With diesel now priced at RM6.72 per litre and no government subsidy in place, C2 operators are bearing the full brunt of rising costs entirely on their own.
Association chairman, Harry Tan warned that some operators have already suspended operations, and that the number of C2 vessels in Sarawak has fallen sharply over the past decade.
“If the diesel price is still this high, maybe we will have to stop for a while. If we do not operate, this might affect Sarawak’s food security,” he said.
Political secretary to the Premier, Kho Teck Wan highlighted a critical disadvantage faced by Sarawak’s C2 operators, noting that while West Malaysian C2 vessels are only required to fish beyond 15 nautical miles, their Sarawak counterparts must travel twice as far.
She also moved to dispel a common misconception, stressing that C2 fishermen are currently paying the full retail price for diesel, receiving no subsidy whatsoever.
“People think Sarawak have subsidised diesel. But it doesn’t apply to the C2 fishermen. They are paying the regular retail price for the diesel,” she said.
Rather than demanding an open-ended subsidy, the associations proposed a capped allocation of 20,000 litres of subsidised diesel per vessel, with any additional fuel purchased at the standard retail price.
“We understand that our government is now having a hard time. We can’t just stand for our livelihood, but we also have to stand with the government,” Harry added, emphasising the spirit of compromise behind the proposal.
Kho confirmed the 20,000-litre figure was calculated based on actual fuel consumption to reach the fishing zone, and serves as a safeguard against fuel smuggling, before pledging to convey the matter to the Sarawak state government in hopes of securing additional support at the state level.
