BINTULU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) recently intercepted a local fishing vessel for allegedly fishing beyond its permitted zone.
MMEA Bintulu director Captain Mohd Iszuadi Mohamad Hassan said the Class C boat was spotted 2.95 nautical miles west of Tanjung Payung at around 7.20 am on Wednesday (Jan 31) by an MMEA vessel patrolling the coastal areas.
“Further checks found that the captain and crew were Indonesian, aged between 27 and 54 years, and were detained for further investigations,” he said in a statement on yesterday (Feb 1).
The Indonesian skipper and crew committed an offence under the Immigration Act 1959/63 for failing to present valid identification documents.
“The captain and crew members were brought to Bintulu Maritime Zone Vessel Detention Centre for further investigation.
“This was the second fishing vessel detained for January by MMEA for conducting fishing activities beyond the permitted zone,” he said, adding that the case is now being investigated under Fisheries Act 1985.
He also stressed that MMEA will continue to carry out patrols to prevent violations of the law, smuggling, invasion and maritime crimes that occur in the waters of the Malaysian Maritime Zone.
He reminded the maritime community to comply with the rules and laws, adding any information on suspicious or illegal activities or emergencies at sea can be channelled to the MMEA Bintulu (086-314 254), Maritime Operations Centre (082-432544) or MERS 999.
