KUALA TERENGGANU - The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) arrested seven Vietnamese fishermen for conducting illegal fishing activities in Malaysian waters last Saturday.
Terengganu MMEA director Maritime Captain Mohd Khairulanuar Abd Majid said they were detained around 135 nautical miles northeast of Kuala Terengganu at 9 am on Jan 14 under operations codenamed Op Naga Barat and Op Kuda Laut.
"When MMEA patrolling teams detected a suspicious boat engaged in fishing activities and attempted to sail away. they managed to intercept the boat using a foreign registration number.
"Upon checking, the skipper failed to produce valid licence documents,” he said in a statement today.
Mohd Khairulanuar said all the crewmen, including the skipper, aged between 21 and 54, also did not posses valid identification documents and foreign worker permits
He added that the boat, fishing equipment, 150 kilogrammes of marine catch and 100 litres diesel worth RM1 million were seized , and the crewmen were handed over to Terengganu Maritime for further action.
The case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 and Immigration Act 1959/63. - BERNAMA