BINTULU, April 11 — The Bintulu Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained a foreign fishing boat at around 8am on Saturday for encroachment and illegal fishing after giving chase for almost 10 hours.
Bintulu MMEA zone director Captain Maritime Mohd Khairol Anuar Saad said the fishing boat was found carrying out illegal fishing at about 90 nautical miles off Muara Sungai Kemena.
He said this seizure was made following a complaint by the local maritime community over the encroachment at the ‘hotspot’ area in Sarawak waters.
“During a routine patrol, Kapal Maritim (KM) Setia detected a suspicious boat stealing sea products believed to be sea cucumbers at around 9pm last Thursday,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said based on preliminary observations on the structure and registration number, the boat is suspected to be from Vietnam.
Mohd Khairol said the foreign fishing boat tried to escape from being inspected but was chased down for almost 10 hours by KM Setia before being intercepted.
“An inspection of the boat found six crewmen from Vietnam, including a skipper, aged between 28 and 37 on board,” he said.
He added four crew members including the skipper had identity documents while the other two did not have valid identity documents.
The skipper also failed to produce valid permits to conduct fishing activities in Malaysian waters.
“Realising the offense, the skipper offered a RM5,300 bribe to the authorities for the purpose of releasing them and the boat,” said Mohd Khairol.
He said the boat is believed to have only just been at the location based on the load of sea cucumbers amounting to approximately three kilogrammes.
Also found was about 2,000 kilogrammes of salt meant to maintain the durability of the sea cucumbers before being brought back to Vietnam.
All crew members, fishing equipment and other seizures including the boat, estimated to be worth RM500,000, were detained and escorted to the Bintulu Maritime Zone Vessel Detention Centre for further investigation.
The case will be investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for failure to submit any valid permits to carry out fishing activities in Malaysian waters.
If convicted, the skipper can be fined not more than RM6 million while each crew member can be fine RM600,000.
The case will also be investigated under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 for the alleged attempt to bribe law enforcement personnel.
If convicted of bribery, the accused can be imprisoned for not more than 20 years and fined not less than five times the amount or value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.
For any complaints of illegal activities in Sarawak waters, Bintulu MMEA Operation Centre can be contacted on 086-314254. — Borneo Post Online
