KOTA KINABALU: A man has been detained and his wooden boat seized after authorities found him fishing without a licence and failing to provide relevant documents for the vessel off Labuan.
A patrol boat of the Labuan zone Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) discovered the 27-year-old man, who also did not possess a valid identity document, on board the boat, 17.5 nautical miles northwest of Labuan island at 5.30am on Thursday (May 18).
“The patrol team was conducting rounds under Ops Sejahtera, Ops Kudat Laut and Ops Tiris, when they spotted the vessel.
“Upon inspection, it was found offences were committed under the Fisheries Act 1985 for fishing without a licence, and under the Sabah Ports and Harbours Enactment for failure to provide boat documents.
“The boat and the skipper were brought over to the Labuan zone maritime jetty for further investigations,” said Labuan MMEA director Maritime Capt Nudin Jusoh in a statement.
He also reminded the public not to conduct fishing activities at oil rig areas, which are restricted areas.
