GEORGE TOWN: A local fishing vessel carrying five foreign crew was detained in Penang waters on 25 September for alleged licensing and immigration offences, with the seizure including the boat estimated at RM3 million.
Penang maritime director Maritime Captain Muhammad Suffi Mohd Ramli said the Class C vessel was detected at 9.55am during a patrol about 31.5km southwest of Pulau Kendi, according to NST. Checks showed the vessel was based in Hutan Melintang, Perak, he said in a statement.
The vessel was operated by a skipper and four crew members aged between 25 and 52, comprising two Thai nationals and three Myanmar nationals. Further checks found it had failed to produce the required licence, along with documents relating to the vessel and its fishing equipment. Four of the foreign crew members were found not to hold a Temporary Employment Visit Pass.
Officers from KM Semilang, the patrol vessel that spotted the boat, boarded for a search at 10.40am before the vessel, the skipper and the crew were escorted to the Vessel Detention Centre Jetty at the Penang Maritime State Headquarters, Kosmo reported.
The stop is the latest in a run of similar actions in Penang waters. In August, Malaysian News Gazette noted that the same director detained two local fishing vessels in separate operations, with crews who could not produce valid identification and both boats worth nearly RM6 million. The vessels were held on suspicion of violating licence conditions, including using foreign skippers and crew without written permission from the Director-General of Fisheries.
Suffi said the agency would keep taking firm action against parties that ignore fisheries and immigration laws. “Strict action without compromise will continue to be taken against any party that disregards fisheries and immigration laws to ensure the sustainability of marine resources and the sovereignty of the country’s waters,” he said.
Maritime Malaysia will continue to intensify patrols and enforcement in national waters to ensure fishing activities are carried out according to regulations, he added. Section 8 of the Fisheries Act 1985 makes it an offence to operate a local fishing vessel without a valid licence or in contravention of a licence condition, while the Immigration Act 1959/63 requires foreign nationals to hold a valid pass.
Members of the public with information on maritime crimes or emergencies at sea can contact the Penang Maritime State Headquarters Operations Centre at 04-262 6146 or 999.
