KUCHING: A local fishing vessel was detained for violating the legal conditions of its licences about 4.5 nautical miles off Tanjung Po last Saturday (Oct 24).
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak director First Admiral (Maritime) Zin Azman Md Yunus said the Class C2 vessel was detained around 1pm in an operation dubbed Ops Khas Kuda Laut.
“Inspections found that there were 14 crew members including a skipper, aged between 20 and 59, aboard. Of the figure, 10 are Indonesians with valid travel documentations.
“Further examination revealed that the vessel’s permission document for using foreign crews has expired and it violates the conditions stated in the licence,” he said in a statement.
As a result, the agency detained the vessel, its crew, fishing equipment and various catches weighing 500kg and escorted them to MMEA Tun Abang Salahuddin Maritime Complex (Komtas) at Muara Tebas.
Zin added that the case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for violating the legal conditions of the licence.
