BINTULU: A local fishing boat was detained by the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Bintulu for breaching the terms of its licence by operating outside of the fishing zone.
Bintulu Maritime Zone director Maritime Capt Mohd Khairol Anuar Saad stated that the boat was fishing outside the allowed fishing zone and was spotted about 6.5 nautical miles off the coast of Tanjung Kidurong at around 1.05pm yesterday.
“Enforcement officers boarded the vessel and found that the boat was operated by five Indonesian, all with valid documentations.
“Only the boat’s captain is a local; and all of them are aged ranging from 21 to 47 years old,” said the local maritime director in a statement today.
He added that the arrest of the vessel was following a complaint of local fishing vessels breaching in the coastal areas, and having damaged some fishing nets owned by the local fishermen.
With that, the agency detained the vessel and its crew, along with its fishing equipment and a total of various fish weighing 4,000 kilogrammes.
“Six of the crew including the captain and the boat were detained and escorted to Bintulu Maritime Zone Vessel Detention Centre for further investigation.
“They will be investigated under Section 8(b) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for breaching terms of the licence for conducting fishing activities less that the distance allowed by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia, a compoundable offence,” he said.
He urged the public and the maritime community to relay information of any suspicious activities or emergencies on sea through MERS999 or to the Bintulu Maritime Zone Operation Centre (086-314 254) and Sarawak Maritime Operation Centre (082-432544) that operates for 24 hours.
