JOHOR BARU, Jan 2 — The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a fishing vessel for anchoring in a prohibited area in the waters off Pengerang, near Kota Tinggi, yesterday.

Tanjung Sedili Maritime Director Captain Amran Daud said the MT Hua Xiang 801 vessel, with a crew of 12 Chinese, aged between 23 and 53, was detected by the MMEA patrol boat at about 3pm when doing their rounds at the waters.

"The MT Hua Xiang 801 that was registered at Zhua Shan, China was anchored at about 2.8 nautical miles south of Tanjung Setapa, Kota Tinggi.

"When approaching the ship to do inspection, we found that it had anchored in a prohibited area,” he said in a statement here today.

Amran said the skipper and its chief engineer would be brought to the Tanjung Sedili Maritime office to assist in investigations. — Bernama