Two more boats with Viets detained
Published on: Thursday, June 21, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Two more foreign vessels carrying 16 Vietnamese were detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for carrying out illegal fishing activities near Pulau Balambangan, Kudat, Tuesday – the third within a week.Kudat MMEA Zone Chief, Lieutenant Commander Boon Chin Chau, said the boats attempted to flee when they were spotted at about 2.30pm, some 97 nautical miles off the island."The boats carrying 16 Vietnamese, including the skippers, were detained for trespassing and carrying out fishing activities illegally," he said.
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Boon said inspection on both vessels found various types of fish on board, including tuna, weighing up to four tonnes, which were seized together with several fishing equipment and the boats worth a total of RM1 million.The case will be investigated under Section 15(1)(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985 and the foreigners could be charged under Section 25(a) of the Fisheries Act 1985, which carries a fine up to RM1 million for the skipper and RM100,000 each for the crewmembers, on conviction. Under the "Ops Pagar Laut" by MMEA in the past week, two foreign vessels were detained for trespassing and illegal fishing activities.The first with five Vietnamese crew including its skipper, aged between 30 and 36, was intercepted some 46 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Mantanani, off Kota Belud, last Tuesday.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
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Inspections on the vessels found various fishes, including yellow fin tuna and sailfish, and fishing equipment such as rawai. - Jeremy S Zabala
