THE Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) arrested seven Vietnamese fishermen for illegal fishing in Malaysian waters on Saturday.

Terengganu MMEA director Maritime Captain Mohd Khairulanuar Abd Majid said they were detained about 250km northeast of Kuala Terengganu at 9am on January 14 under operations codenamed Op Naga Barat and Op Kuda Laut.

“MMEA patrolling teams detected a suspicious fishing boat which attempted to sail away. They managed to intercept the boat which bears a foreign registration number.

“Upon checking, the skipper failed to produce valid documents,” he said in a statement today.

Khairulanuar said all the crewmen, including the skipper, aged between 21 and 54, also did not possess valid identification documents and foreign worker permits.

He added that the boat, fishing equipment, 150km of marine catch and 100 litres diesel, all worth RM1 million were seized, and the crewmen were handed over to Terengganu Maritime for further action.

The case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 and Immigration Act 1959/63. – Bernama, January 16, 2023.