KUANTAN: A local fishing vessel and 21 foreign crew members were detained on suspicion of violating the terms of their licence under Ops Makmur and Ops Tiris about 7.5 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Tioman on Thursday (May 22).
Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) of Pahang director First Admiral (Maritime) Mazlan Mat Rejab said the class C2 vessel and all the foreign crew members, including the tekong, aged from 20 to 57, were detained by a patrol ship at about 9.40 am.
“Upon inspection, the vessel is believed to have violated the terms of its licence by hiring foreign workers with valid work permits, while the crew members were found to possess questionable identification documents," he said in a statement on Saturday (May 24).
He said they also seized the fishing equipment, relevant documents and their catch, which weighed an estimated seven tonnes.
He added that the vessel and crew members were taken to the Teluk Gading Maritime Post Jetty in Rompin, and the case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 and Immigration Act 1959/63. – Bernama
