KOTA KINABALU – The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained 41 Vietnamese nationals and seized their fishing vessel in waters near Sabah’s northernmost district of Kudat.
According to a local news portal, MMEA Kudat maritime zone commander, Maurice Grenville Abeyeratne, said the arrests were made at around 12pm on Saturday while the agency’s KM Arau vessel was patrolling under Op Kuda Laut.
He said the illegal fishing boat was spotted idling about 118 nautical miles west of Tg Simpang Mengayau and was carrying three tonnes of fish.
“The men were believed to be hauling the fish unto the boat at the time,” he said.
“During the arrest, the foreign vessel acted aggressively and attempted to ram into our vessel. The impact of the collision had caused minor damage to the MMEA vessel. But it did not stop officers from arresting the foreign men.”
The MMEA official said this during a press conference held in Kudat, earlier this afternoon.
Grenville said MMEA has identified all the 41 Vietnamese nationals aged between 18 and 58 years old.
He said the seized vessel is believed to be the “mothership” of a fleet of illegal fishing vessels operating in the area, based on the amount of catch found.
He also said the value of the catch was estimated to be at RM1.5mil.
The case, Grenville said, is now being investigated under Section 15(1) of the Fisheries Act 1985 for fishing in Malaysian waters without a valid permit.
In April last year, authorities arrested 20 Vietnamese fishermen for encroaching into the same area. – The Vibes, June 13, 2022
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