KUANTAN, May 24 (Bernama) -- A local fishing vessel, together with 21 foreign crew members, were detained on suspicion of violating the terms of its licence under Op Makmur and Op Tiris about 7.5 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Tioman on Thursday (May 22).
Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) of Pahang director First Admiral (Maritime) Mazlan Mat Rejab said the class C2 vessel and all the foreign crew members, including the tekong, aged between 20 and 57, were detained by a patrol ship at about 9.40 am.
"Upon inspection, the vessel is believed to have violated the terms of its licence by hiring foreign workers with valid work permits, while the crew members were found to possess questionable identification documents,” he said in a statement today.
He said they also seized the fishing equipment, relevant documents and their catch weighing an estimated seven tonnes.
He added that the vessel and crew members were taken to the Teluk Gading Maritime Post Jetty in Rompin and the case is being investigated under the Fisheries Act 1985 and Immigration Act 1959/63.
-- BERNAMA
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