Three fishing boats with 33 Viet crew detained
Published on: Saturday, May 25, 2019
By: Del Roester Rudim
Kota Kinabalu: The Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) seized three fishing boats with a total of 33 Vietnamese crew members, including three skippers, for alleged trespassing and illegal fishing in the waters off Layang-Layang Island.Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sabah and Labuan Director Rear Admiral (M) Kamaruszaman Abu Hassan said the boats were intercepted while conducting fishing some 68 to 76 nautical miles southwest of Layang-Layang at 3pm on May 21.
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He said the boats were also found possessing prohibited electric shock fishing equipment that could destroy the marine ecosystem.
“Thirty-two of those detained were remanded for seven days while the other who sustained injures while diving will be remanded after being discharged from hospital.
“The boats containing various types of fish weighing some 900kg have been brought to the MMEA jetty in Sepanggar for further investigations,” he told a press conference at the jetty, Friday.
Kamaruszaman said the boats, believed to be from Vietnam, will be investigated for various violations, including whether they used cloned local licences and registration numbers.
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“We will also investigate the owners of the fishing boats.”Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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He thanked TLDM for helping to curb trespassing of fishing boats and urged the public to contact MMEA if they have knowledge of any illegal activities in the State’s waters. Meanwhile, Navy Captain Azhar Bahrun said they would regularly patrol the waters to safeguard security and sovereignty of the country.
