KUCHING: Foreign fishing vessels which had entered the nation’s waters unlawfully made a run for it when when they spotted a fleet of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency vessels recently.
The 14 MMEA vessels were sailing across the South China Sea – some 850 nautical miles over five days – when their presence raised the alarm
“The foreign fishing vessels, which had unlawfully entered the nation’s waters in significant numbers, had positioned themselves 15 to 20 nautical miles south of Amboyna Cay.
“However, they promptly departed from national waters upon realising the significant presence of these agency assets,” said Rear Admiral Datuk Hamid Mohd Amin, Deputy Director of Maritime Operations.
He said the programme was part of the Eastern Strength Maritime Exercise 2023.
During this period, various sets of exercises were carried out under his guidance, encompassing navigation, deck landing training, communication systems, search and rescue operations, flood control, firefighting, and live-fire drills at sea.
“The success of this exercise was evident when the presence of maritime assets was clearly detected in the waters of the South China Sea.
He made these remarks during the closing ceremony of the Eastern Strength Maritime Exercise at the Maritime Complex Tun Abang Salehuddin on Saturday (Nov 4).
The exercise’s outcomes effectively led to the expulsion of foreign enforcement vessels from national waters.
In the same context, Hamid stressed that this exercise had bolstered the capabilities and collaborative operations of the maritime teams in Sabah and Sarawak, preparing them for future missions in the South China Sea.
He revealed that the results of this exercise had also successfully collected valuable information and feedback from all participating crews, which will contribute to enhancing operational standards in the future.
Also present at the ceremony were the Director of the Maritime Safety and Surveillance Division of Malaysia, Rear Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah, the Director of Maritime Sarawak State, Rear Admiral Zin Azman Md Yunus, and the Deputy Director of Enforcement and Maritime Coordination Division, Rear Admiral Zulinda Ramly.
