MIRI: Two local fishing vessels together with half a tonne of marine life estimated to be worth around RM5,000 were seized by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on Thursday morning (September 20).
“The Agency also detained a total nine crew members from the two vessels which were found to have trawled near Kuala Baram beach,” said MMEA chief, Mohd Fauzi Othman.
Crew members including skippers detained from both vessels are aged between 20 and 52 years old.
The case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985.
According to Mohd Fauzi in a press statement, both vessels were spotted at about 7 nautical miles off Kuala Baram Beach around 3.30am (September 20), before the Agency intercepted, during an ‘Ops Permai’.
Mohd Fauzi added, a patrolling team of MMEA Miri was on their patrolling routine for the‘Ops Permai’ when they spotted the vessels.
“At 4.15am and 4.45am the Agency came within reach of the vessels,” said Fauzi.
He added, one of the vessels had been detained for the same offence back in March this year.
The arrest was the second success for Miri MMEA within this week, on Tuesday (September 18) MMEA Miri has detained six local crews of a vessel off Kuala Baram coastline for illegal trawling and forfeited marine life worth RM5,000.
