KUCHING, March 23 — Thirty-three crew members of two Vietnamese fishing vessels were detained by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) for encroaching into Malaysian waters on March 20.

MMEA Sarawak director First Admiral (Maritime) Zin Azman Md Yunus in a statement yesterday said those detained were aged between 19 and 60.

He added that the vessels were carrying out fishing activities without valid permits at 120 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Sirik.

"The first vessel was spotted by Kapal Maritim (KM) Arau at 6.30am during its patrol around Beting Patinggi Ali waters. KM Arau pursued the vessel for four hours before successfully intercepting it.

"The second fishing vessel was spotted at around 11.30am, and KM Arau successfully intercepted it after a one-hour pursuit.

"Based on the physical structure of the boats, they are suspected to be Vietnamese fishing boats,” said Zin Azman.

Upon inspection, the vessels were found to have no valid papers and licence from the Fisheries Department to carry out fishing activities in Malaysian waters.

"All 33 Vietnamese crew members including the skippers were without identification documents and were detained.

"The vessels together with fishing equipment, 22,000 litres of diesel and around 30 tonnes of catch worth around RM2.5 million, were seized before being taken to Maritime Vessel Detention Centre in Muara Tebas for further investigation,” he said.

Zin Azman said the case will be investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 for carrying out fishing activities in Malaysian waters without a valid permit, as well as the Immigration Act 1959/63.

He added that all crew members had undergone Covid-19 screening test as a precautionary measure upon arrival at the MMEA jetty.

For complaints and information on any suspicious activities at sea, the public can call Sarawak Maritime Operations Centre on 082-432544/432006, or MERS 999. — Borneo Post Online