KUCHING, Oct 25: A local fishing boat was detained by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Sarawak during “Op Khas Kuda Laut” for violating the terms of its operating license.
According to the State MMEA director First Admiral (Maritime) Zin Azman Md Yunus, the C2 class boat was detained after acting suspiciously at about 4.5 nautical miles from Tanjung Po, near here at 1 pm.
“A total of 14 crew members together with the skipper, aged between 20 and 59 years, were in the boat, and 10 of them are Indonesians with valid documentation.
“Further inspection found that the boat authorisation document for using foreign crews has expired, which violated the terms stated in the license,” he said in a statement.
Zin noted the boat and crews, together with the fishing equipment and catches, including about 500 kg of fishes, were brought to MMEA Tun Abang Salahuddin Maritime Complex (Komtas) in Muara Tebas near here for further investigation.
“The case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985, for violating the license legal terms,” he added. –DayakDaily.
